


*Perseverance Keeps You Going

by officaldaelight



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual violence, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, OCs - Freeform, Reader is the Purple SOUL, Reader-Insert, Underground is currently not safe for humans, aka perseverance, at least not like in the game yet, eventual angst, expect a lot of feels, kinda tsundere!sans, mysterious person POV, mysterious person narrating the fic is the reader's child, no smut for you, the slowest of burns, this happened prior to the events of the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-07-19 05:03:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7346203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/officaldaelight/pseuds/officaldaelight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven. You were the seventh. And you just so happened to fall in Underground at its worst time. Everyone is out to get you. You can't RESET. You can't SAVE. But you can do one thing. CONTINUE. Living. Surviving... Loving.</p><p>It's up to you.</p><p>CONTINUE?</p><p>Act 1: The Lights Will Guide You Home (Chapter 1-**)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Fall

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [When Two Souls Meet (Sans x Reader)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6838291) by [Zana_B_Sparrows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zana_B_Sparrows/pseuds/Zana_B_Sparrows). 



> HOWDY!
> 
> This is a thing I'm trying out. I'm a sucker for romance and I really want to get my hands on some romantic themes. I know, I know. "But, Dae! There are like BAJILLIONS of Sans x Reader fics!! You're succumbing to this crap, too?!" Uh... Yeah? It's kinda up to me how I interpret the game. If you don't like fanfics like these, then don't read it. Plain and simple.
> 
> Besides, if I create something, I don't want it to seem the same from everything. I want it to be different. I hope this is a little different from what you've read so far.
> 
> This is just a preview. A beta test of sorts. I won't be going full on this fic until I finish "The Great, Amazing, Sensational Team of Misfits". Once that's done, then I'll focus on this. Don't worry. I only have twenty chapters to go ;)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, btw. Prepare for the fourth wall to be broken to pieces.

**"Keep going. Keep going no matter what,"**

_Those were the only words I heard from my mother. I've never met her. Before now, anyways. But I heard, from my father, that she is a wonderful woman. Strong. Brave. Smart. Persevering. That was her dominant trait. Perseverance. My father said she didn't know how to quit even if the situation looked dim and hopeless. She always hoped. She held onto her hopes no matter what. It was pretty admirable. But also pretty dangerous. It lead to her sleep. It lead to her misery. It lead to Dad's misery. And, to be perfectly honest, it lead to mine. But it's okay. I know she loves me. She just wanted to give me my best chance. And do you know who she is?_

**_It's you._ **

_On your last, but not yet dying breath, you sent me away. Sent me to some place better. I couldn't help but think... Nevermind. It's not worth it. I knew why you sent me away. And though I'd rather stay with you-stay with both of you-, I'm thankful things worked out the way it did. Things worked better in the end, anyways._

_In case you don't remember, let me run it by you again._

_This is the story of you, Mom. How you fell. How you fell in love. How you failed. And how you saved me. How you saved us. How you kept going..._

* * *

Flowers.

Golden flowers.

They'd broken your fall.

You sat up, rubbing your aching back. Realizing your vision was blurry, you began petting the ground, in search of your glasses. After a few moments, your fingers met a familiar smooth touch. Finally. You picked up your purple glasses, wiped the dust off and pushed the temples to your ears. Sighing, you took a glance around your environment. _'Where am I?'_ , you thought. You seemed to fall deep.

_'Wait.'_

_'How high did I exactly fa-'_

_'Oh.'_

Yep. It's a pretty high climb from where you are. There was no way you can get out by climb alone. Well, you could. But... you're probably gonna die. You guessed the only option is to find another way out. You didn't mind. You loved a little adventure.

Rearranging your bag on your shoulder, you tried to make sure your notebook was still there. It was. You sighed in relief, walking forward. You paused. You looked back at the flowers. One can't help but admire their beauty, the lush, gold petals captivating your attention. _Ranunculus repens_ , you assumed. You've only seen them a few times in your life. They truly are beautiful. And unbelievably soft. Soft enough to save you from death.

You came to this mountain to only do some research on the flora. Just out of curiosity. It seems that you have to make an unplanned schedule. Not that anyone would come looking for you, anyways.

You continued walking until you came upon a huge gateway to... something. It looked like a complicated structure. You wondered if there was any civilization that lived in this area long ago. Curiosity getting the best of you, you stepped in.

It was a rather empty cave. You spotted another door up ahead. Weird. You slowly walked your way up to it, cautious if anyone is still down there. Once you got to the door, you ran your hand up the marble surface, attempting to push it open. But before cracking it open, it shut back. Like someone pushed the door close again. You could've sworn you heard a gentle "Oh!" behind it. Growing concerned, you stepped back. You began to sense that there are indeed people living here.  


Suddenly, the door creaked open. Your eyes were now wide and your instincts prepared you to run. Attack. Flee. Act. Anything. Whatever was in there could be dangerous.

You felt your blood run cold once a creature stepped out into the light. You didn't quite understand what it was. It looked like... an anthropomorphic, robe-wearing goat woman? You didn't know why, but the first thing you did was trip backwards, fearfully inching away from it. The creature gasped, concerned it scared you.

 "Oh! Don't be afraid, my child! I won't hurt you!" its somewhat gentle, motherly voice assured.

 "W-What are you?!" you yelped, still crawling away backwards.

The goat woman laughed. "Silly me. Why, I'm Toriel, Caretaker of the Ruins. I understand your confusion. I am, what your kind says, a monster,"

That stopped you on your tracks. You had a pretty good intuition. And, by what you've gathered, this woman is kind. You can see it in her eyes despite its unsettling red color. _This was no monster,_ you reasoned with yourself.

 "I..." You began standing up. "I thought monsters didn't exist..."

 "Goodness me! What are other humans teaching you nowadays?!" she held her chest with her paw, seemingly offended by what you said.

You shrugged. "I dunno... Math?"

Toriel giggled at your response. "My! You are quite different from the others! Come, now. You must be tired. I'll help you the best I can,"

 "Others?" you wondered out loud.

 "Yes. You are not the first human to fall down here. Many others did but..."

An obvious sorrow spread across her face. She must have really cared about these humans that fell before you. And you took it their lives didn't end well. You raised your hand and patted the goat lady on her arm.

 "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to pry..."

She wiped away a tear. "Oh, no! No, it's quite alright... I just... It's been a really long time since I've seen a human. Your presence here is quite comforting,"

You smiled. You were glad you could help her out... whatever she was.  She then offered you her hand as she gestured towards the door.

 "Come now, my child,"

You took her hand, beginning to trust her more. You then noticed what she called you. You frowned.

 "I'm not a child. I'm twenty one years old, an adult. I've got a college degree and everything. I pay taxes and stuff," you corrected.

 "I know. Still, to me, you are," Toriel smiled, leading you to the door.

 "Oh," she halted. "By the way, what's your name, my child?"

You sighed, shaking your head. Welp. You might as well get used to what she refers you as. You didn't mind. Maybe you could play on as a kid for her along the way. After all, this was just the beginning. She won't be the only one who will call you a child. If you won't get used to it now, you'd waste your emotions on an immature irritation. And you didn't want that in the near future. Breathing in, you flashed Toriel with another smile.

 "(Y/N). My name is (Y/N),"


	2. "Love is an Open Door"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bird's got to go out the nest one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY AGAIN!
> 
> So I've been thinking a lot about this fic. Mostly because my brain believes it has a very good concept and idea for it. So I got the plot sorted out and there will be 32 chapters for this. I won't be updating this as much as TGASTOM. But I'll try to as often as I can. TGASTOM is still my priority. I just want to give you guys a preview on how this story's gonna go ^w^
> 
> And I have this cheesy idea to entitle each chapter with lyrics from love songs. A lot of them will be based off of the old classics 'cuz I love songs from the 80's X333 This one's relatively new, though.
> 
> Hope ya like it!
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Love is an Open Door"

It took you a great deal of convincing Toriel to get to go outside the Ruins. You weren't much for small places and, frankly, her humble, warm and comforting abode was a little too small for you. You liked big spaces. Spaces where you can breathe, where you can be free. Besides, you were really curious what lies ahead. Toriel wasn't just taking this matter well and was acting like a mom on her child's first day of school. Heck, she almost challenged you to a fight.

Her concern slightly washed away when she checked on your stats. It was unbelievable. She pointed out that your HP was on 71 and that it wasn't normal for humans unless they killed multitudes of lives. Your LV, however, to her surprise, was a constant 1. Your "Kill Count" was on zero and "EXP" were also on one.

It was then she decided that you are capable of yourself. This was when she led you to one of the exits of the Ruins, stating that you can't, for some reason, go to the main exit that leads to a town named Snowdin. She states that the town is so close to the Head of the Royal Guard and no human, in Underground's current condition, would want to face her. Instead, she shows you the door to another small town that's called Snowasis that was heard to be inhabited by monsters who still believed in peace. After hearing this, you started question what it was about monsters and towns named after snow.

Looking at the door was looking to the unknown. Toriel dreaded what would happen to you. The fear, worry and anxiety in her eyes was unsettling. She hadn't spoken a word for moments. A pang of pain stinging its way to your heart, you slowly raise a hand and rest it upon her arm as you did when you met her.

 "Hey... I'm going to be alright. I promise you that," you assured.

At these words, Toriel's eyes started watering and her expression became more painful. She grabbed you into her arms, seemingly trying to shield you from the world with an embrace. You felt her cool tears trickling down your back but you didn't mind. She was was convulsing with so much anguish as you rubbed circles on her back, trying to convince her again and again that you will be safe.

 "I'm s-sorry, my child. I-" she hiccuped, "I just... can't. I c-can't lose another,"

You chuckled softly, patting her back once more. "You won't lose me. Tell you what, I'll visit you. I'll come back. Then you'll know I'm alright,

 "I know you can't open the door again once I leave. But I can still talk to you, right? Don't lose hope, Mom. I'm going to be fine,"

Your figuritive mother smiled sweetly as you called her with that name. It was as if hope wiped away all the fears and worries she bore down on herself. Wiping her tears away, she pulled away from you, holding your shoulder for reassurance.

 "That sounds nice... You know, (Y/N), you really are different from the others. When it was time for them to leave, they... they just left. Like nothing could stop them. But you... your hope. It-It's quite contagious." She giggled. "I was scared of raising my hopes up too high. But you taught me that even if it's terrifying, there's always something that can keep you going."

Smiling, you gave her a wink. "Yup! The darkest of nights brings the brightest of stars. A little hope can go a long way,"

 "Hee hee... Keep that hope, will you, my child? You'll never know... Someone might start hoping again because of yours,"

 "I have no intentions of losing it," you beamed.

Turning a full one-eighty, you heaved a big breath into your lungs. Your hands were nervously clinging onto your sling bag that contained your notebook, a few miscellaneous items and a pie Toriel made to go. Though you weren't quite prepared for your journey ahead...

_*Your perseverance makes you want to keep going._

 "What is next, my child? If you get out here? Do you intend to go back to the Surface?" Toriel asked.

Underground was one SOUL short to break the Barrier. You knew that. To be perfectly honest, you didn't have a plan. You just wanted to see what Underground can offer. Surface or not, you knew you could always find a piece of home wherever you were.

 "Honestly? I don't care. I just... I just want to explore and get into new things as often as I can." You turned around to glance at Toriel. "I guess I'll just take what life has to give me,"

She nodded slowly, trying to let her doubts go. She understood the Ruins were too small for a girl like you. Even if it's safe, it would still seem like a cage for you, no less. It was horrifying to her, the unknown. But if you proved anything in the past few weeks you've stayed with her, it is your ability to face the unknown. It wasn't always easy for you. But you faced it head on, nonetheless. You aren't a child and she has to accept that.

 "Well... Good luck, then, (Y/N). I hope I can talk to you soon,"

 "Thanks, Mom," you smiled.

No turning back now.

...

Flora was fascinating Underground. Yes, they aren't as abundant as the teeming life on the Surface. But, still. You can't help but marvel at the magical foliage towering you. Trees stretched up high as if trying to veil secrets from prying eyes. The touch of snow on the leaves sparkled like tiny crystals. Speaking of snow, you began to realize that the temperature dropped as you wandered. You slid your hand into your bag, fishing out a blue hoodie you brought with you.

As you tried to slip it on, a faint rumble rang in your ears. The ground suddenly started to shake. It wasn't a big tremor. Yet it was enough to test your balance. When it ended, you regained your composure, trying to ignore the fact you were miles underneath a mountain.

The rest of your walk began to make you feel a tad bit aghast. You kept hearing whispers and footsteps as though they were following you. You picked up the pace as your eyes desperately searched for santuary.

The footsteps began to ring clear in your ears.

Run, your instincts told you.

Before you could even take another foot, everything was dark and your hands were void of freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the other chapter prepared but I'm too lazy to edit it. It'll be up with new chapters for TGASTOM tomorrow. With a lot of original characters! *wink wink*
> 
> Let me know what you think about this story so far :333


	3. "The Way You Look at Me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's the only one who gave you the look that you expected everyone to give you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy... Sorry for the delay. But here it is!! ^w^
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "L-O-V-E". The songs that the chapters are entitled with are not necessarily matching with the atmosphere of the chapter, jsyk.

At this point, the face of danger didn't scare you. Toriel's stories of SOUL-stealing monster roaming around has become a tale to scare children. You were expecting something crazy to happen once you were on your own. You prepared a speech, a face and a facade for your kidnappers and your one goal is to make it out alive. You weren't dying on the first day out of the Ruins as your objective is to see as much of the Underground as possible.

Whispers over here, footsteps over there. Finally, you heard a door close. You are about to be interrogated. Or whatever the heck they wanted to do to you.

The bag on your head yanks away and you begin to open your mouth to protest. But then your lips were stopped by a finger and your speech with a "Shhh!". A wave of confusion runs in your brain, trying to digest what was happening at the moment. What did they want?

 "You're a human, right?" a monster with his face concealed by the shadow of his hood made sure.

 "Do I look like one?" you raised an eyebrow.

 "Well, she certainly acts like one," a canine monster nudged the hooded figure.

The other monsters chattered in agreement. The room was dimly lit so you barely saw their faces. Typical kidnapping cliche. The one who seems to be leading them, the hooded figure, stepped forward to you, his towering figure not fazing you one bit. His aura seemed... comforting? You weren't sure why. In fact, now that you noticed it, you suspected any of these monsters weren't in this to hurt you. The atmosphere was too... friendly. You could actually feel monsters happy with your presence or them being worried.

 "I am so sorry for the inconvenience. And I apologize that our meeting had to be like this. But if we aren't hasty with our actions, you could be in grave danger, young one," the hooded figure spoke.

 "So... you aren't here to kill me," you tilted your head.

The hooded figure laughed, his companions along with him. Your mind once again got into question as to how he developed an English accent as he is a monster underground, untouched by human civilization. Then again, the Underground and its inhabitants were a mystery itself.

 "No, no! We don't mean you any harm. In fact, we are here to protect you,"

He pulled down his hood and finally you saw the face. He was a... skeleton? A monster skeleton, you reminded yourself. Creatures down there were tricky. Toriel almost seemed offended when you compared her to an animal goat. You kept your mouth shut for any remarks of this creature being related to the dead.

 "Hello, human. I am Century, leader of the MERCY group," he waved.

This certainly raises more questions than answers. "'MERCY'?"

 "See, Underground nowadays... not safe for humans. Especially after the last human fell. His attitude towards us was... rather harsh. It rekindled the king's flame for war. We, however, do not want any trouble. We simply want peace. Mercy. And if we are to get out of this haven we're trapped in, we wanted to do it without anyone dying. That means you, my dear. May we know your name?"

 "Uh... (Y/N). This is..." you sighed. "Wow, this is a lot to take in..."

 "I know it is. But, please, don't be frightened. We're here to help,"

Century offered a hand. It was only then it hit you that they didn't even bother tying you up. Your certainty of trusting these monsters was still unsure. There were a few doubts that lingered in the back of your mind. But Century's aura was all too familiar. It was similar to Toriel's only, instead of a motherly feeling, he gave off a fatherly feel. You took his hand and let him pull you out your seat.

 "Friends! Let us celebrate for the arrival of our new friend: (Y/N)!" Century declared.

Never had you expected monsters to celebrate your arrival... until that day.

...

Snowasis was called so because it was refuge on a hope-deserted land, Century said. It didn't feel like it was invisible despite his explanation that the towns parameter's were protected by magic. And despite being a big little town, it felt so small with all the tall trees surrounding it.

The monsters of Snowasis were quiet and careful. They dared not make any loud noises that would raise suspicions on their neighboring town, Snowdin, that lay miles away. Despite that, they still greeted you with a smile. Any terror you had in you soon melted away from the smiles and the welcomes you received.

Century was giving you a tour of the town, stating basic do's and don't's for your own safety. You were introduced to various monsters, encouraging you to contact them if a certain need arises. For example, if ever you needed information from books and films, you are to go to Yandereel who kept a massive collection she found in "The Dump". She seemed more like the manga aficionado, though, threatening to maul you if you give her crush, the local chef Sien, a look. Other than that, she seemed nice. Sien was the go-to monster if you ever needed food; his specialities being in pastries and, more especially, pies. You didn't need more context that he loves making pies after learning the name of his store.

It was overwhelming. You met new people almost every minute, set to protect you with their lives. So much was going through your head that you weren't paying much attention to where Century was leading you next. Next thing you knew, you bumped against another monster, nearly knocking both of you to the ground.

 "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't watch where I was going! I'm such a klutz..." you apologized.

 "Fuhgeddaboudit," a low, baritone voice huffed. He wasn't much for talking and it felt like he didn't want to look at you either.

 "Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over Snowasis for you!" Century exclaimed, ignoring the fact that you hit against this fellow hard.

The monster (which you realized was a skeleton like Century but shorter. He was an inch or two taller than you, though.) shook the snow off his clothes without so much of a gleeful face. His smile was strained and he gave off this impression that you should stay away from him. You could easily sense his demeanor and body language telling you to back off. You stepped back, slightly hiding behind Century in case he gets any ideas.

 "Sorry, Uncle. Had to catch up with Papyrus on sentry duty. Y'know... since there's finally a human that fell down here,"

At the end of his sentence, he gave you an unsettling glare. If you weren't so lost, you swore you could've held back that faint yelp you let out. Even then, Century didn't pick up the tension between you two.

 "Oh! Well, that makes sense. Go on and be careful, you two!"

 "Sure, sure,"

The short skeleton proceeded to go on walking to the woods, not even bothering to look back.

 "That's my nephew, Sans. He lives with me and his younger brother Papyrus. You'll have to excuse him. He's never been the same since my brother disappeared," Century explained.

 "You have a brother?"

He nodded. "A younger one. Just vanished out of thin air a long time ago. There are a lot of skeleton monsters here. 71% are actually a part of the MERCY group as they are the monsters most loyal and caring about humans because... you know,"

 "This nephew of yours doesn't seem loyal and caring to me..."

 "Give him time. He's just coping with a tragic loss, (Y/N). He may be stubborn but he's certainly a friendly chap once you get to know him. Now, come. You haven't seen the main attraction of this town!"

Your tall companion headed on like a child on Christmas morning. He didn't seem to realize you weren't following him.

You looked back to where this Sans guy headed. As suspected, he wasn't there anymore. Must've tried to get away from you as fast as possible. Century was a kindly soul and has spoken truth about everyone you met. On his nephew's case, however, you can't help but hint a bit of a lie. If he really wasn't indeed lying, you didn't understand. Everyone in Snowasis were ready to put their life on the line for you. You insisted they don't have to do so but they were determined. They greeted you with friendly smiles, hugs and a few even gave gifts. This one monster left a bad impression on you. You tried to look for a sign that he's just a grump with a heart, but it seemed that he was a threat to you.

With that, you made a mental note:

  _"Stay away from Sans,"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans is grump. And Reacher-chan is not so grump :3
> 
> Yes. Century is based off the "Century Gothic" font. Out of all the fonts, this one seems the most clean and orderly to me, tbh. That's why I named him so. And expect more of the skelefam soon! Papyrus and Sans being sentries will be explained in the next few chapters.
> 
> So Pap was lying when he said he's never seen a human before when Frisk comes? Owo
> 
> Hope ya like this one!


	4. "She's Just a Little Girl"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being strong is tiring, isn't?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEHOLD.
> 
> The beginning of the angst =)
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Just a Little Girl"

You had absolutely no idea how long you've been wandering around the town. Though you did want to see every nook and cranny in this place, you have to admit that you can't take it all in a day. Your legs were hurting bad after walking forever and, thank Asgore, Century had to run an errand for a while and left you at Sien's café. Despite Yandereel's warning glances, you were just grateful to finally sit down.

With one glance at your watch, you realized all this happened in the span of about twenty-four hours. It was already one in the morning, but the town still seemed lively. Not knowing what to do and how long Century will be away, you ordered a nice cup of Hot Cucolate with the gold you got from running into battles with monsters in the Ruins.

Recalling the Ruins, you began to wonder about Toriel. She's worried about you, no doubt. Would she even be up at this late hour?

 _Screw it,_ your brain thought, pulling the cellphone she gave you out of your bag and selecting her contact.

**_Ring..._ **

**_Ring..._ **

**_Ring..._ **

She was taking so long.

**_Ring..._ **

**_Ri_ -**

 "Hello?" a small, familiar yet gentle voice answered

You sighed. "I thought you weren't going to pick up. I thought you were asleep or somethi-"

 "Of course, I would answer, my child! I would not leave you... **hanging** ,"

 "Wow, Mom. That was **UNCALLED** for," you involuntarily rolled your eyes.

Toriel responded with a stiffled laugh, making you hold back one in return. It was so good hearing from her again. Especially since this was a new place with a lot of new people. You needed a bit of old company. Your figurative mother became the perfect candidate.

 "So how have you been? From the sound of it, you're doing fine," she got back into subject.

 "Oh, yeah... You were right all along. Snowasis is as pleasant as you said. Everyone's so nice,"

 "Mmhmm. But hold off stepping out of town for a while, okay? I heard news that the Head of the Royal Guard is quite antsy,"

 "Oh, yeah. A friend of mine said the same thing. They've already put up sentries and stuff. I still can't believe that they'd do this for me. I mean... I'm a human. I-I... My own kind, they... you know." You sighed. "I just don't know why I'm worth protecting."

 "Now, now, my child. You are very well worth protecting. What your kind did was a thing of the past. You are living proof that humans can be good. And if Asgore can't see that, well, the old whelp is blind, I tell you,"

You let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks, Mom..."

An uneasy silence hangs in the air. You can't seem to come up with anything to talk about.

 "Is everything alright? It kind of seems that you're a little less hopeful than you were when you left," Toriel worried.

 "I-I'm fine... I just... There are... some people who do not want me here. I just feel like I shouldn't,"

 "(Y/N), ignore them. I highly doubt that the leader of the MERCY group will let anyone lay a finger on you. From what I've heard, he seems determined to resolve things peacefully between our races. These people just don't know how delightful you are. Don't let them get in your head,"

 "I'm trying not to... Maybe it is best if I give my SOUL up,"

Once you breathed out those words, it was as if Toriel almost dropped her phone on the other end. You can sense her boiling up against your idea, ready to explode with a knee-jerk reaction.

 "G-Give it up?! (Y/N)! That's one thing you don't do! Give up! Don't! You are too valuable to be wasted as a key for war! Giving your SOUL up is leveling up Asgore's plan to the next stage! You can't do that!"

 "But don't you want to get out? See the Surface again?"

 "Of course, I do. I just don't want to go through with it by losing you..."

A warm sensation fills up your heart. She hadn't said it yet but you knew she loves you by the smallest remarks and actions she made. And, you, in return, loved her like she's the mom you never...

Oh...

Right...

It was wrong. It felt so wrong, comparing your real mom to your surrogate mom. She cared for you, too. She loved you. She... You sighed, shaking off the thought and focusing back on your conversation with Toriel.

 "You guys are an amazing bunch. I seriously can't imagine this much people taking care of me. Especially in a land that wants me dead," you grinned.

You heard Toriel chuckle. "You just don't know how loved you are, (Y/N). And I bet, soon, people will start loving you for your strong personality. You are the hope of monsters, my child. Just keep your chin up and keep on going, alright?"

Those words... Those words made you feel like your chest was compressed as walls were closing in around you. A familiar warmth pulsed throughout your entire being, but also left a pang of pain in your heart. It stung like someone poured vinegar on an open wound but it was comforting, the same. Your breath hitched as you fought back your tears, closing your eyes to hinder their escape.

 _It's over,_ you reminded yourself. _They're gone. Move on._

 "Yes, Mom. I promise," you whispered.

 "Ugh... I'd really love to talk to you more, but the pie in the oven might get burned. I have to go,"

 "Alright. Enjoy that pie,"

 "Hee hee." She sighed. "I love you, my child,"

Darn it. The waterslide's gonna come in soon, isn't it? "I love you, too, Mom,"

"Bye..."

**_Click..._ **

 "Bye," you said sadly, putting your phone down on the table. You inhaled deeply as you rested your head on your hand, slouching like a child.

You were pretty much alone. You sensed Century won't be back soon. Pulling your hood up to your face, you covered your expression and let the tears fall. You've cried too much that you've gotten control of the hiccups and the break down. You just let your system be. And your being just wanted to let out a few tears. Hoping so much had its perks. But no one knew how much hard was it to persevere... after everything you've been through. No one knew how hard it was to get this attitude. To keep on keeping on.

Somewhere near Sien's café, a certain monster went back to town to take a break from sentry duty. So far, the Royal Guard isn't making their way to Snowasis. Which was good... for them. For you. For him, not so much. He didn't HATE you. But he didn't like the idea of having you around. To him, you were dangerous.

One thing stuck in his mind when he met you; the one thing he reminded himself over and over again to prepare for your arrival.

_'Stay away from the human.'_

Then, he suddenly heard someone's heavy breathing. He could practically feel the agony on that someone's SOUL, perceiving scars on a heart nearby. No one was around. How was it-

Oh.

It was then he saw you, hiding under your blue hoodie, weeping your eyes out. It was hardly visible that you were crying. If one were to look at you from afar, one might assume you were only sleeping. _Dang,_ he thought. You're stronger than you look. Even at this weak point, you still held your ground. It was amazing.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for you. Well, yeah, you were the second to the last piece to break the Barrier. But he wasn't a soulless clod. He was like you. Both of you hid pain. Both of you had a wound that nobody knew.

He scoffed, shaking his head. You were a piece to the puzzle. A key to a door. He mustn't think you of anything else. You must be nothing to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. Reader-chan's got a tough past. Not that kind of tough past. You'll learn more as we go on. I'll be dropping hints here and there until the big reveal. But, basically, Reader-chan was TRIGGERED.
> 
> I'm sorry. I had to XP
> 
> Hope y'all liked this chapter!


	5. "Hold On"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes holding on isn't healthy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL IS IN DA HAWS!!!
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Hold On" by 33 Miles

If Century was familiar how the human face works, he'd be all over your sorry head for realizng you've been crying. Your eyes looked swollen and red and your cheeks puffed up a bit. Century, being the sweet bean he is, only thought you were tired. You couldn't say he was wrong. You were quite tired and all you needed was a good night's rest.

Luckily for you, it was finally time for him to show where you'd be staying. He led you to a small house on a quiet street, its homey structure making you want to rush inside and fall on the bed.

 "I'm sorry it's small. If you want, we can rearrange it or-"

Cutting off Century's words with a wave, you gave him a tired smile. "It's perfect. You guys don't have to do anything,"

 "Really? From what you told me earlier, you'd be staying here a very long time. Don't you want to improve it or something?" he tilted his head sidewards like a cute puppy.

 "No, it's fine. I wouldn't want to change a thing about it,"

He shrugged, content with your answer. "If you say so..."

Century brought out a key from the pocket of his long navy blue robe and pushed it in the lock. Twisting the knob, he was about to open the door to your new home when-

 "Uncle! I came for the nightly report!"

You whipped your head around and found another tall skeleton (who was an inch or two shorter comared to the friend behind you) waving a couple of papers at hand to Century enthusiastically. The snow crunched under his big red boots as he run towards both of you, the rest of his crimson scarf that wrapped around his neck flapping violently from his speed. He skidded to a halt upon seeing you, getting into the realization that you were... well... not a monster.

 "OH MY GOSH!! UNCLE, IS THAT THE HUMAN?!" the tall skeleton exclaimed.

 "Papyrus, what have I told you about the shouting? And, yes, dear boy. This is the human. (Y/N), this is my other nephew, Papyrus. Papyrus, (Y/N),"

You extended your hand, meekly offering it to Papyrus. "Pleased to meet you,"

 "All the same, human! I'm terribly sorry for the shouting! While I'm known for my sharp memory, I tend to slip up every once in a while. Had I screamed louder, your presence would be alerted by our neighboring town!" Papyrus worried, shaking your hand in return.

 "Aww... It's okay. You didn't mean it. I mean, heck, if I were you guys, I'd be pretty surprised to see a human here, too," you sweetly smiled at him. You hoped that made him feel better about himself.

 "I know! It's been quite a long time since I last saw a human! I was just a baby bones!"

 "Also known as the stage when he scared the crap out of us with his voice," Century joked.

 "He has to be proud of his voice! I mean, it is a part of him." You then turned to Papyrus who was listening to you intently. "Why hide your loudness? With that radiant personality and confidence, you are sure to capture people's hearts!"

 "You really think so?!" Papyrus beamed.

 "Yeah! To be honest, you're pretty great,"

You weren't lying. After your encounter with Sans, you were glad to meet another friendly soul. You don't even know this guy for fifteen minutes and his positive and cheerful aura seemingly passed onto you. His smile was sincere and his expression was innocent and gullible. You liked everyone but this adorable skelly has got to be your favorite so far.

 "Wowie! The human thinks I'm great! Did you hear that, brother?! She thinks I'm great!"

 "Heard it loud and clear, bro. It's the truth, though,"

Wait. That voice...

_Brother?!_

Your blood ran cold and, for a moment, your heart stopped beating and moved up to your throat. Oh, stars. Your hands hid behind you and your fingers twisted tight as you began thinking, _'Please, no. Oh, golly. Please. NO. NO NO NO NONONONO! It can't be-'_

 "Saaaans!! You and the human need to stop making me excrete tears of joy!"

**No. Freaking. Way.**

Sure enough, the shorter skeleton shifted from his position as Papyrus stepped out of his way. Darn it. He was trying to hide from you, trying to put in the principle _"Out of sight; out of mind,"_.

Your face was tempted to twist into slight disgust. Sans was NOTHING like his sweet brother and his friendly uncle. You could've understood if he was a distant relative. This. **This** didn't make sense. They were warm, open and bright whereas he was algid, enigmatic and somber. It hit you how much he was dealing things very poorly. He and Papyrus lost the same father, had they not? Yet, the taller skeleton still kept his child-like behavior, bringing smiles everywhere he goes. His brother was taking the bitter road, the one that is easy and facile.

You almost took that road, despite being so effortless and one-dimensional. Had it not been... _his_ request, you hadn't been like this. You hadn't achieved this attitude. You hadn't kept moving on. You can't say that you've moved on. The guilt hiding in your sweater and wrapped around your neck was still haunting you. You deliberately disobeyed him. Yet... still. You are a much better person that you once were. Though you still felt like a scum on the earth, the pendant weighing you down.

You understood why Sans acted in this manner. You simply wished he dealt with it better. You felt like if he did, you'd feel a lot safer than you felt at the moment. Welp. You have no control over anyone but yourself. Might as well accept it.

 "Human (Y/N)! Can you hear me?!"

 "Oh! Sorry, Pap. I guess I..." you inhaled. "... spaced out,"

 "I see. I was just telling you that I came upon the realization that you and my brother had met!" the tall skeleton beamed.

 "Oh. Yeah..." You began rubbing the back of your neck nervously, beads of sweat trickling down on your head despite the nippy weather. How you wished this guy didn't have the intention of killing you.

 "It appears you've started on a bad note! No worries! I can save your friendship while improving ours! I shall organize a hang-out right away!" Papyrus announced.

 "Sounds nice, Papyrus. But I believe the human needs to rest. She had quite a day. I'm sure she would be ready for your hang out tomorrow or the next day," Century interrupted (thank Asgore for that).

 "Very well, Uncle! Rest well, human!"

 "Thanks, Pap," you grinned jadedly. "Night..."

 "Wait! Sans hasn't bid you farewell! It is the MERCY group's protocol to respect a human, after all! Brother, say goodbye to the human!"

You were about to tell him it was all good when the shorter skeleton scoffed and huffed, lifting his shoulders up to indicate he didn't care.

 "'Goodbye to the human',"

 "SANS! That was not right!!"

Though the comeback coming off snide, it triggered a tingling vibration in your throat which you soon realized to be a giggle. Sans raised an eyebrow at you, his expression screaming _"I can't believe you_ ,".

 "It's alright, Papyrus. I better hit the hay,"

Before shutting the door, you heard Pap asking his uncle what "hit the hay" meant. The rest of the conversation turned muffled as the knob secured on the lock.

You didn't have the energy to bask at your lovely abode. You immediately trudged around, in search of the bedroom. Luckily, the first door you opened revealed a large bed that was neatly made. Your shoes fell off and you didn't even bother to set your belongings aside as you flopped on the bunk. It tempted you sink in and sink in, you did. Your sore muscles and throbbing head had been begging for rest for the entirety of this episode and they were finally contented that they got their wish. Once your head hit the pillows, your system immediately shut down and drifted off to sleep.

•

~~_There was a white void. So vivid. So empty. So familiar._ ~~

~~_Whipped head around at hearing a sound. It was him._ ~~

~~_"Why didn't you listen to me? It told you to give it up," he spoke softly._ ~~

~~_"Do think it would be easy? Do you think it's that simple to let go? No... You're not going anywhere. Both of you aren't," was the reply._ ~~

~~_"Let go, love. Give up," he said again._ ~~

~~_"Never," a tear fell._ ~~

~~_He stepped closer, reaching out. He held on, begging to be set free._ ~~

~~_"Let go... Give up... Please... Let me-"_ ~~

Your eyes shot open. You held onto your chest, relieved to discover _it_ was still there. Huffing, you rested your head on your hand. You shivered at the memory. You tremble at the reminder of your wrongdoing. But your perseverance hadn't wavered.

"Never..." you exhaled.

_If you aren't careful enough, your humble perseverance can turn to stubborn determination._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you there'd be angst :3333
> 
> Btw, I've made another Sans x Reader fanfic. It's just a one-shot and it's completely unrelated to this one but, hopefully, the fluff is enough to make up for the angst and the sins weighing down Reader-chan's back ^w^ It would be awesome if you'd check that out.
> 
> I'd love to hear your theories on what's going on, so far! Or your feedback!
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading! ^u^


	6. "Who Wouldn't LoVe a Guy Like You?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS. CLODS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you guys know, the perspective of the characters shift from time to time in this chapter; from Sans, to Papyrus, then to you. It won't really follow that order but I just want to inform you guys. It's still your mysterious child narrating because I don't want to stray from the point of the story.
> 
> Also... long chapter ahead of you Owo
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Who Wouldn't Love a Guy Like You?" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of my favorite movies tbh.

You were nothing.

You've been staying in Snowasis for weeks; and, to him, you were still nothing.

Keeping a human hidden wasn't as easy as it sounds. The Royal Guard made several rounds, patrolling the area for humans. While he wasn't really into the idea of delaying the destruction of the Barrier, he knew Papyrus would be enraged if he would just hand you over to them like a sad sandwich bag. And his uncle wouldn't exactly be the best person to upset so that was a no-go. If he didn't push you to the dirt, the dogs would've realized you were... well, a human. He wouldn't lie. He found amusement at your bewilderment, shock and your angry little remarks. You still didn't realize it was him who magically pulled you towards the muck.

He slowly put up the act of boondoggling on his sentry duty, subtly trying to let the Royal Guard slip into town to find you. Unfortunately, his little brother would never let his... **guard** down and would alert trouble, running to town with the speed of light.

It annoyed him how blind they were. It's almost a month and they still haven't found you. What's worse is that the Head of the Guard herself won't go to town all for the reason that she finds monsters who fraternize (or likes the idea to fraternize) with humans unsettling. Besides, she has no interest in a town in snow as she is, after all, cold-blooded. Well, in all fairness, you were pretty quick and you hide pretty well and Papyrus and Century were devoted to keep you safe. He never thought his greatest enemies would be the people he loved most.

His aggravation, however, never slipped Papyrus' mind. He wasn't exactly the childish, naive skeleton his big brother thought him to be. Pap saw every cringe. Every glare tinted with mock. Every time he drew away from you, every time he didn't look your way and every time he refused to utter a word at your presence. He saw it all.

See, you grew to be quite close friends with Papyrus. A few days after you met, you introduced to him the prospect of pasta and found yourself cooking spaghetti for the tall monster and the two of you instantly formed an unbreakable bond. At least you weren't alone with your obsession to pasta anymore.

Papyrus learned a lot of things about you more than anyone in town. He knew that you leaned onto chocolate when it comes to candy. That you like to draw what you called "gestures". He discovered that you had a fascination on flora and he eagerly shared what he knew about magical plants to you. He also observed, out of the three hoodies you brought with you, you used the blue one more often. He kept silent about that, though. Your fashion sense wasn't odd. It was just too simple for his taste.

One of the things he caught from you was your tension towards his brother. He can't blame you. It's mostly his brother's fault. You got along with everyone (yet you still have to settle a misunderstanding with Yandereel) so well despite claiming that you are introverted and would rather be alone or with less company most times. He thought that, out of all the monsters in Snowasis, you would get along with his brother best because you were like him in a lot of ways. Apparently, it was not so.

Recently, you expressed your intention to be friends with the older skelebro, sensing that he needed help. He built a wall between you and him, however, hindering any development in your relationship with him. Heck, you bet you weren't even considered aquaintances. You pushed it aside like a chisp on the shoulder, though. That you didn't really care if the shorter skeleton didn't want to do anything with you.

That was when Papyrus put his foot down. His brother was being rude to his human friend (now known as his best friend) and he's not getting away with that. He even had the audacity to sleep on sentry duty! For shame.

He had enough. You and his brother were the closest people to him. Both of you not getting along was very, very conflicting. Now was his time to claim the new title you gave him. Only the greatest skeleton can solve this conundrum now.

...

"You want me to what?!"

A hand flew on Papyrus' face. Oh, wait. It was his.

 "Talk to her, Sans! TALK TO HER!! Don't think I can't hear the hypocricy and sarcasm every time you strike up a conversation. She was trying to be nice to you, Sans! And you're repaying her with such a cold shoulder! A harsh cold shoulder! I can't believe you! I thought you were better than that!"

At those words, the shorter monster sighed and rubbed his head. Maybe if he tried to reason with him... "Pap-"

 "No. You've spoken enough," Papyrus raised his hand. He looked at Sans right in the eye sockets, turning more serious than ever. He can hear clickity-clacks from him. Good. At least he's got an idea of how furious he is. Breathing out, he let go of the rage seething in his soul, kneeling down to get to Sans' level in order to truly connect with him. "Look...

 "I know how you feel about humans. I know you want to get to the Surface... and why. Believe me, I was very hesitant to have a human here after what we've been through with the first human we met. But when I heard that she meant no harm and just want to get to know us better, I couldn't help but see... him in her. I know her, Sans. She has no intentions of harming anyone.

 "I get it. It takes you some time to heal. But can't you just give her a chance? You don't have to be best or close friends. At the very least, you can be acquaintances with her. Just... open up,"

Sans' words died out once Papyrus spoke wholeheartedly. His eye sockets had gone empty and his aura turned dark. That didn't faze his brother one bit. Yes, he was quite... frightening when he's upset. But Papyrus had to do this. Any sort of negative ties must be set aside. This wasn't healthy anymore. It has to come to an end.

 "Okay..." he finally breathed out. "I-I'll give her a chance. I'm really sorry, bro. I know how much she means to you as a friend and I'm screwing up your friendship big time. I get it. I'm just..."

His mind was now in a flurry of thoughts, trying to come up with a pretty good excuse for his behavior.

 "... scared she would hate me..."

The younger tilted his head. He bought the lie. Good.

 "Nonsense, brother! She'd love a guy like you... you know... once you stop looking at her like she's your next kill?"

 "I'll try my best to be friendly, Paps,"

The younger skeleton sighed in relief. "Good,"

Papyrus held his knees as he pushed himself up. His gaze turned away from his brother and to the horizon, searching for someone.

 "She should be here any minute now. She never misses a hang-out,"

 "Guess she really cares about you, huh?"

 "Oh, very much so! And I for her! She called me 'The Great Papyrus' the other day. And drew me in a cool-looking battle body! A very great friend, she is! Nyeh heh heh!"

Sans chuckled along with him. Okay, how were you doing this? You're taking care of his brother better that him. That hardly seems fair. He had to admit that he's a tad bit jealous. Yes, Papyrus does commend him from time to time. But, back in the day, he'd brag about being his brother. It made him utterly happy. For the sake of Papyrus, he decided to set aside his ridiculous shenanigans for a while.

Going to the Surface can wait.

Still... he had to keep an eye on you.

Speaking of which, Sans caught a glimspe of you, breaking the tension between him and his brother. You walked towards them slowly, waving at Papyrus and giving the shorter one a small smile. His eyes drew away from you, trying to set aside any negative emotion he wanted to pour all over you.

His thoughts were disrupted by the tug on his sleeve caused by his little bro.

 "I forgot to tell you something... If you willingly allow something bad happen to her..."

Papyrus' face dimmed, any light now wiped out with darkness. His eye sockets had gone white; like empty voids that radiated with ghastliness.

 "I will really, _really_ not like it,"

A shiver slithered down Sans' spine. Papyrus, being a cheerful, optimistic soul he is, used that face rarely. It was similar to Sans' eye sockets going empty, the little white lights snuffed out in an instant. But Papyrus. Papyrus' expression is an expression of someone who is dead serious about something. While he has his own strength, the last thing Sans wanted is to provoke the innocent Papyrus to rage.

 "Hi..."

The sound of your voice snapped him out of his frozen state. He looked up to Papyrus whose happy face returned as if nothing happened.

 "Greetings, (Y/N)! I'm glad you came on such short notice!" Papyrus beamed.

 "Oh, it's quite alright. I just..." you cleared your throat. "... wasn't quite expecting your brother to be here,"

Well, that was handed out in the open with a neat little bow, wasn't it? Heh. He probably deserved that coldness, anyway.

 "I'm sorry I didn't inform you! I just want the three of us to hang out a lot more!" the tall skeleton worried.

Your voice cracked, despite your attempts to make your fear absent. "W-Well... if it's not any trouble with him, I'm cool with that..."

 "Oh, uh... Yeah. It's fine," Sans mumbled.

For a moment, you both locked eyes, agreeing that this whole situation was beyond awkward and tense. You still felt the threat in his gaze and he, the terror in your eyes. After a few seconds, both of you pulled away from the other's gawk, finding the biggest of interests in things such as a lone rock and a broken twig.

 "Oh!" Papyrus exclaimed, breaking the tension. You weren't exactly listening to what he previously said and that just made you feel bad.

 "That reminds me. I have to run a quick errand! ... And use the bathroom. Be right back!"

With that said, Papyrus rolled away from the scene. Literally. He fell face first on the snow and just... rolled away, maintaining his pose. Both you and Sans silently eyed on him, confused expressions plastered on your faces until he was out of sight.

 "Does he... always do that?" you spoke up.

 "A lot more often than you think. Sometimes he even turns in circles the heck out or jump off a window," Sans replied, his eyes still at where his brother disappeared.

A small laugh escaped your lips at the thought of Papyrus jumping out of a second story building and just screaming "AAAND HE STICKS THE LANDING!" with a goofy pose.

You suddenly stiffened. Did... Did you just... talk to him... OUT LOUD? AND laugh at his reply?! Oh, geez. An idiotic clod, you were. Oh, you're such a big, muddy-cruddy clod. For Asgore's sake, you were standing awkwardly like a stiff tree, shifting your feet time to time. You remembered your glasses when it clumsily slid below your nose and you gauchely pushed it back up to position. This was a lot more unsettling than you thought it would.

Sans raised his hand, resting it behind his head and scratched softly. What a loon.

 "Um... Hey,"

 "Hey..."

 "So... we started pretty bad, huh?"

You suddenly had the urge to move your eyes to a full spin across the x and y axis and sprinkle it off with a hint of sarcasm. "Gee, I didn't notice,"

 "Hey, I'm trying to get the ball rolling here and now you're the one giving me that look?"

 "Sorry. I just... I get it. I'm a human. My kind crushed your people's hopes and dreams and yada-yada-yada. You have every right to hate me. If my fate is to die in your hands, so be it. I just hope you're happy you got your wish fulfilled,"

 "Okay. First off, I don't hate you. Not saying I like you. I just don't. Secondly, if I'd kill you right now, Papyrus would rip be to little, tiny shreds while managing to keep me alive so that's off the list. If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to kill you, either. I just really... really want to get out of here..."

That reply took you aback. Huh. So he doesn't hate you (yet). And he doesn't want you dead. The notion that now stands is that you are in the way of his freedom or... redemption or whatever reason he wants to go to the Surface. That would kind of explain why he keeps a distance from you. Forming any sort of bond with you would definitely be hard for him. Not to mention, the last human that fell down here had the reputation of being a little too... aggressive. Interesting...

 "Is there another way to get to the Surface without using SOUL magic?" you asked after a few seconds of taking his answer in.

 "Nah. Your ancestors did a pretty great job locking us up. It would take a miracle to get us out without harming anyone in the process," he sighed.

 "Huh. You don't believe in them?"

 "In what?"

 "Miracles,"

 "Given up on them a long time ago, kid. Hoping on 'em happenin' doesn't really do anything,"

There goes the child-calling again. Seriously. Do these monsters even know a kid when they see one?

 "Hey. I'm not a kid. AND hoping for miracles isn't really a bad thing. Sometimes you gotta think what's the better outcome and... keep on... keeping on." You shook your head. Focus. "I understand why people give up and stop hoping for things to get better. Trust me, I do. But I'm not gonna trade living life for survival just because my heart's been crushed. Hope's the only thing I got. I'm not letting it go that easily,"

After your little speech, Sans said nothing, remaining disconcerted. He simply nodded, humming a little at your answer as he pulled his shoulders up to a shrug. Once more, you both fell into the spell of uncomfortable dumbness. A question then floated in your mind. One that got you rambling the whole speech thing in the first place.

 "Why..." you squeaked. "Why do you want to go to the Surface?"

His expression dropped to a frown and, again, he shrugged. "Same reason you fell down here... to escape bad memories,"

 "WH- I fell by accident! I-I-"

 "Please. We're neighbors and my room is adjacent to yours, you know. I can hear you talking in your sleep. You don't even care if you'll get to the Surface again or not and I see that thingamajig you're hiding in your neck. You hold onto it a lot more than you realize. You might have fallen here by accident but evidence tells me there's something else that brought you on Mt Ebott. I may be a skeleton and I don't have eyes but don't think I'm blind to not see that,"

Stupefied, you attempted to reach for the hidden treasure wrapped around your neck before you were reminded of what Sans said and stopped yourself. He shouldn't know about this. No one should. You grumbled, feeling your sins crawling on your back.

 "Nobody should know about this..." you looked away from him and your hands just itching to hold your little secret.

 "Hey, your secret's safe with me. I get that you might have a rough past but I just don't get the whatchamacallit you got there,"

 "I-It's a reminder..."

The skeleton raised an eyebrow. "Of what?"

 "That I have to keep hoping. That I should hold on,"

"Hmm... Sounds pretty confidential to me. I'll leave you to your devices just as long as you leave me alone with mine,"

You hesitated for a little. You didn't have to deal with this deep of a talk with Papyrus. While you had some serious conversations, you never went this deep. Now, two minutes in with this guy and he's suddenly prying on your past and reading you like a freaking psychic. But... still. You were so inquisitive of his reason behind his longing to start a new life in the Surface. What really was it with the last human that corrupted his view of you now? Did this have something to do with his father? Questions, questions. So many questions. Were they all worth it to break your secrets to a monster you were just getting to know?

You decided it wasn't the time.

 "Alright..." you breathed.

 "Good..."

Geez, this guy knows how to trap you in a corner. You had to be very careful around him now. Though your defenses dropped a little with the knowledge he doesn't fully want to kill you, you want your history to remain a blur. That was something that you and only you should know.

 "Here comes Pap," Sans suddenly said. "Hey. If he asks, tell him I'm fun to be around,"

A smirk curled on your lips as you thought of a witty remark for that. "You mean that you're a **fungi**? Nah. There isn't **mushroom** for guys like you for me. Papyrus already took that spot,"

 "Heh. Good one. But, seriously. I need to live. At least make me sound likable,"

 "Drop the frosty act and you will be,"

Before Sans could respond to that, Papyrus began to acknowledge his return and apologizes for taking so long. You said that it was fine even though you knew he set this up so you and Sans could bury the hatchet. You didn't mind it at all. You were just glad that the possibility of befriending him is confirmed.

While you and Papyrus started yapping about spaghetti and about an Underground-wide festival that will happen within two days, Sans was kind of dumbfounded with your answer. Just the idea of you liking him (as a friend) was as silly as it sounds but... really? If it were not for his chilly way of treating you, you found him likeable? Huh. That's intriguing.

That's ridiculous. He shouldn't consociate with you. The more chummy he gets, the harder it is to let you go and Sans is the kind of person who takes friendship seriously. He was only in this for the sake of his brother.

Still... he would be lying if he said he wasn't even a little bit disappointed to find the windows finally sealed shut and the curtains pulled in on the house next to his tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationship progress! YAY! =)
> 
> I told ya guys it was a slow burn. Took you five fricken chapters to get to a full conversation with this clod X3  
> What do you think?


	7. "It Almost Looked Like Heaven's Light"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, what wonders can two SOULs do once they become one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little break from the angst. Let sass and sarcasm rain from the heavens! May this plateful of sass be enough to crush the Markimoo's pride!
> 
> I'm kinda loopy, guys. Don't judge me -w-
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Heaven's Light" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sorry but this movie is just so awesome. I freakin' love it sm.

The town (and the entire Underground) was abuzz with excitement, thrill and wonder. It was that time of the year. The time most monsters waited for. A lot of them spent the entire week (some even months) getting themselves ready; physically or emotionally. Giggles tickled the air, teases warmed the atmosphere. For it was on the next day that the SOULmate Festival was to be commenced.

The SOULmate Festival, from what you've heard (and read from Yandereel's books), is a great gathering of monsters who want to find their SOULmate. It was a tradition practiced ever since they were still in the Surface. Once a year, a monster's SOUL would glow so brightly, it will reveal its true colors and would have the urge to rush to the partner fate meant to be. Many monsters get married within the month as both SOULs will now be considered as one and inseperable. But others take their time and let their SOULs to bond and get used to the feeling since anything that affects one's partner would affect them.

You had spent an entire day trying to calm Yandereel's nerves down as she was having weird episodes of squealing, laughing and an occasional panic attack. Papyrus had no interest of participating such event because, one, he's still a monster teen and, two, he hadn't quite decided if he wants to be bonded to another or not. This festival isn't just to find love and all that jazz. To participate in such a ceremony would require one to be selfless as one cannot bond without sharing thir SOUL. Their life will become the other's and the other's theirs. Everything a couple would do, they would do it together for the rest of their lives. It's a pretty scary commitment, you should say. But it was one Yandereel is willing to get into, keeping a sharp eye on Sien.

When everybody was home to prepare for the next day, you decided to go outside town for the first time and visit an old friend.

Since you've been staying a month, Century finally permitted you to go outside town parameters as long as you wore a protective hood a town scientist made for you. He said it voided you from smelling, sounding or feeling like a human but you were just glad you can get some cover. Especially with the festival occuring the next day.

A huge purple door finally before you, you sat down, turned around and knocked.

But nobody came.

You knocked again.

Nobody came.

You sighed, mumbling under your breath. "Mom?"

 "M-My child?" a voice whimpered.

 "Yeah, it's me,"

Toriel sighed in relief. "I was scared it would be some monster who found interest in this door,"

 "Nah. Monsters think there's something fishy going on here. I doubt anybody would have the guts to come here,"

 "Well, that explains a lot of things. Oh! How did you get here? You told me the chief didn't permit you to go outside," she remembered.

 "He allowed me to go out on a certain amount of time and as long as I wear this magical coat that repels me from monsters," you replied, studying the cloak you wore.

 "Oooohhh! That would also explain why you don't feel as human as I remembered. I must say; that coat is very impressive. I'm sure it will work well on you,"

 "Yeah. I passed a member of the Royal Guard unnoticed with this thing. It's pretty cool,"

 "Hmm... I'm just glad you can come personally now. I do miss your presence very much,"

You pounded your head against the door as you groaned, pretty much annoyed and flattered. "Aw, Mom! Stop making tears come out of my eyes! You always do that!"

With Toriel laughing it off, you both proceeded on discussing and talking about current events, throwing the occassional pun in the conversation.

Nothing much had been happening in the Ruins as she was all alone except for some monsters that roamed about. She told you that they wanted her to give you their thanks for not killing them. You then proceeded to whine again, telling her to tell them that it was no problem as you felt your heart go warmer. She informed you of new recipies she was trying. You cheered for her after hearing she successfully baked a butterscotch cinnamon pie, recalling your request when you lived with her. A request she failed to fulfill since she didn't know how to make it in the first place. She also told you that the golden flowers you fell on had grown more... bright... and vibrant ever since you came. You took that as a minor detail; nothing to make a fuss out of. She, however, was talking about it like it was a huge deal.

When it was your turn to talk about your life, you told her how everything was going fine. You spoke about the new best friend you made and how absolutely delightful he is. Toriel was exhilarated at the knowledge you were teaching him how to cook as it is one of her passions. You gave her updates about the town, your safety and the Royal Guard which she was pleased to know. You talked on and on until she asked a very interesting question.

 "And what of this... young man who was giving you the **cold** shoulder?" Toriel inquired.

You giggled at the pun. "Oh, it's fine now. He's the brother of the friend I told you about and he helped us patch things up. We're still adjusting to this whole thing because we don't want to upset my friend. He's really close to both of us and I understand how awful it must feel to be in the middle,"

 "Mmm... I'm glad things worked out. I take it that he's now warming up to you?"

 "I think he is. He's making an effort talking to me these past few days and I really appreciate that. He's not that bad of a person I thought him to be,"

 "Everyone is not that bad of a person one thinks them to be, my child. I can even say say that's true for Asgore,"

You nodded. You found that to be true with these monsters. A week after you arrived in Snowasis, you thought Yandereel was out to kill you for hanging around Sien's cafe a lot more often than she liked. When you talked things out with her, you two became close friends. Well, Papyrus argued that he was your number one friend and insisted Yandee as a close second. She didn't mind.

The point is... everyone was just broken in some way. And though you can never fix them nor was it your job to do so, you can certainly try to by fixing yourself.

The silence was broken by a distant yelp that came from Snowasis. It was proceeded by laughter and everything went back to normal.

 "What was that?" Toriel wondered out loud.

 "Oh, just the guys preparing the town square for the SOULmate Festival," you said, standing up a little to get a clear view of the commotion that went below. You sat back down, relieved, to find out that monster didn't fall off the ladder.

 "Ooo! One of my favorite festivals! So bright and colorful! You should really see it when the SOULs start finding their mate. It is absolutely breath-takingly incredible. The smiles, the blushes and tears of joy. Everyone is so happy. It's almost as if..."

She paused.

 "As if what?" you tilted your head.

 "Oh, it almost looked like heaven's light..." Toriel swooned. "So much joy. So much... hope,"

 "Wow... sounds pretty fantastic,"

 "It is. And there are some occurances that only happen once in a blue moon. Like the street lights would glow at the color of the SOULs of a very powerful couple. O-or the ceiling crystals would shine on a pair whose love is so strong. Some say, that if the love is indeed that strong, it can halt earthquakes and calamities on the day the two SOULs are officially bonded and one,"

 "Dang... What I would give to see that," you took a deep breath.

 "You can join in if you want, you know. It won't be the first time there will be a human and monster couple. When monsters still lived in the Surface, there were a lot of monster and human couples that settled down, had a family and lived happily. Their children can be a pure human, pure monster or a monster with a human SOUL or a human with a monster SOUL. Children who had monster-like form, however, were banished Underground. Human-like children remained in the Surface, away from a parent. The poor things..."

Toriel hook her head, recalling what you were talking about. "But I digress. Maybe your SOULmate is in here, (Y/N). It is highly possible,"

You scoffed. "Nah... No, thanks. Besides, humans don't really have this festival of sorts to find their SOULmate. Heck, some don't believe in SOULmates. I don't think a human SOUL can do all that magical stuff you said,"

 "Oh, pish-posh. It can very well do that. The only reason why the SOULmate magic doesn't work on humans anymore is because you don't believe in it anymore. From what I've gathered from the humans that fell in the Ruins, your kind's belief of true and pure love has depleted through the years. That's why. If you believe, you can find your mate,"

 "Yeah, well, humans are a messy bunch. I can tell you that,"

Before Toriel could say another word, your watch alerted you that it was time to go home. You turned the alarm off and ignored Century's call (yes, you communicated through a magical watch). Your knees trembling, you pushed yourself up, taking in the view of the snowy regions of the Underground.

 "I gotta go. Chief's worried about me..." you informed. "I'll visit next time, though,"

 "Alright, my child. But... (Y/N), at least think about it?"

 _What's there to lose?_ your SOUL asked.

There is a lot to lose.

But, for the sake of not disappointing Toriel, you exhaled, giving in to her request, clutching the hidden treasure dangling from your neck.

 "Okay. I'll think about it. Goodbye, Mom,"

 "Goodbye, my child! I love you!"

You giggled, shaking your head as you began walking back to town. "I love you, too!"

Your trek back to Snowasis was mostly you being distracted by your thoughts. You wanted to exprience this SOULmate thing yourself. You wanted to see the "rare occurances" that people had been babbling about. But you knew, in your heart, that you can't. Your SOUL can't. Not while it's holding on to something... or someone. You can never have the heart to tell Toriel that there was no hope for you in this area. No one can help.

Nobody will come.

Nobody will-

 "OOF!" you grunted.

 "Oww..."

You gasped, realizing who you bumped into. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Sans! I didn't mean to-"

 "Nah. It's fine," he rubbed his skull which you assumed was still in pain after the big impact. His expression said it all. "It's just pain,"

 "Ya sure? You don't need anything or Papyrus to help you out?"

 "Hey, now. Calling you a kid? Fine. But assuming I'm a baby? That's below the belt, kid. I can take care of myself fine, thank you very much," he countered.

 "Alright! Alright, you big baby. You're a big boy. You don't need help whatsoever," you mocked.

 "Oh, ha ha. Humor me,"

That remark definitely desereved your eye rolls.

 "What were you doing at that old door? You know it's rumored to be inhabited by spirits that remained restless," Sans eyed at the purple entrance a couple miles away from town.

 "Ha! Yeah, right. I was practicing 'knock knock' jokes. It's pretty convinient. You should try it some time,"

 "Uh... Okay? Put that on my bucket list?" Sans raised an eyebrow.

You chuckled. How sassy can this guy get? "I'm serious, though. Try it one day. Who knows? Maybe you'll make a friend,"

 "Yeah, yeah. Look, I got to get back to sentry duty. Papyrus is gonna kill me if I'm gone more than five minutes and, not to mention, the puny human needs knights in not-so shining armors to act as her personal bodyguards. So I guess I'll see ya, kid,"

With that reply, he turned his heel and walked forth. You took the opposite route and headed back to town, scoffing at his sarcastic reply.

_Clod._

 "'Puny human' my face. Look who's talking,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR! :3
> 
> And he-HEY! Character development(?)! Remember the first time Reader-chan bumped against Sans? X3
> 
> I'm so fricken in the zone in writing this thing! I think the next chapter's gonna be up later or tomrrow XDDD At this rate, we'll be done before October. But I dunt want et to end T~T
> 
> Thanks for everyone who gave me feedback on the story, so far! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And I sincerely hope a certain space rock is gonna FRICKEN SHOW UP ON NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE! I NEED MY LITTLE GREEN SPACE DORRITOOOO!!
> 
> UPDATE:  
> I SAW THE BETA LEAK!!! FRICKEN PERIDOT AND LAPIS FRIENDSHIP!!! AND SO MUCH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! I CAN'T!!! AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
> 
> Also. No one got the Yandereel joke yet? =)


	8. "I Can't Believe My Heart"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a frantic flurry, he looked at his SOUL as if asking it why. It only glowed merrily as if saying, "You'll thank me later..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NYEH. HEH. HEH.
> 
> And...
> 
> A. A. A. A. A. A.  
> I'm screaming slowly for all of you :3
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "I Can't Believe My Heart" by Susan Egan. Though I understand why it wasn't in the Disney Hercules movie, this song deserves so much credit. It's so beautiful TwT

 "Wow,"

That was all you could say.

You'd never seen so many monsters before. To see majority of them gathered in one place was quite a sight. Every monster in Snowasis (or from Snowasis) had gathered at the town square and were having good time. The sentries of the MERCY group still kept on duty in case the Royal Guard made an unexpected appearance and in case an outsider finds their SOULmate here.

Most of the time, one's SOULmate can be found within the place they dwell in. But, other times, a SOUL would go on searching outside its home, its comfort zone and find love in a strange place. Other times, you heard, fate plays tricks. But those times were rare so you didn't bother worrying about them.

Your eyes found an eely monster awkwardly standing near the punch, nervously looked at you. You gave her two thumbs up and a reassuring smile as if saying everything will be fine. She takes your encouragement, takes a deep breath and goes on to enjoy herself.

 "I do hope she finds hers today. She's been waiting for years to find her mate," Century said.

 "Years? You mean some monsters can't have a SOULmate even if they wanted to have one?" you asked, shocked.

 "Indeed, (Y/N). Yandee has experienced a long time not finding hers,"

 "No wonder she was having those panic attacks yesterday..." you realized.

A small silence made a gap in the conversation. It wasn't awkward, to say the least. It was mostly because both of you kept an eye on your manga-loving friend who was just desperate to love someone the way she would love them. True, she seemed over the top at times, fangirling to no end. She even squealed over a cartoon show so loudly when you slept over her house one night that Century thought you were under attack. But deep down, Yandee is a total sweetheart. Why can't any SOUL want to be with someone like her? You can't help but feel sorry for her.

 "Thank you, by the way," Century suddenly broke the pause.

You looked up to him, raising an eyebrow. "For what?"

 "Giving her hope. She looks a lot more... bright. Last year, she was a frantic mess. Not to mention that she wept an entire week after the festival. I thought she wouldn't even come this year. You proved me wrong," he smiled.

 "Oh, c'mon, C. I didn't do anything! I just told her that she had to get herself together and hope for the best! She's the one who did this happy stuff to herself," you countered.

 "She wouldn't have done so without your help,"

 "There's no point arguing you, huh?"

 "Nope," the chief huffed proudly.

Scoffing, you arranged your cloak, shrugging off unnecessary wrinkles that draped on your shoulder. "I'm gonna go check on Papyrus and Sans. You're impossible,"

 "Why, thank you, my dear. Have fun!"

You trudged your way to the brothers' post, barely hearing Century's chuckles behind you. You can't understand why monsters thought you'd be a beacon of hope for them. Yes, you are a human and you were supposed to be a part of the seven SOULs that would set their kind free (if the collection wasn't missing one more). But... that's it. Other than that, you were a nobody. You weren't some sort of hero to be put on a pedestal. You were just an average girl trying not to die. Why can't they see that?

Finding the skelebros chatting in a distance, you smiled and began to sprint towards them, instantly forgetting your deep thoughts and doubts.

 "Hey, guys!" you beamed.

 "Ah! Greetings, (Y/N)! My number two best friend!" Papyrus waved back.

 "Heya, kid," Sans winked.

You crossed your arms, pouting childishly. "I told you a thousand times! I'm not a kid!"

 "Are, too," the short skeleton shrugged.

 "Am not!"

 "Are, too..."

 "Am not!"

 "Are, too. Are, too. Are, too,"

 "Am not. Am not. Am not!"

 "Heh. Fell for the bait. Told ya,"

 "Ugggh... You're even worse than your uncle,"

Papyrus chuckled a soft 'nyeh heh heh'. "I can see you two are getting along! I'm so happy!"

 "Well, we want you to be happy, Pap," you nudged at him gently.

 "Yeah. Same," Sans raised a hand.

 "That's seriously the laziest reply you can ever muster," you placed your hands on your hips.

He simply shrugged. Yup. Definitely worse than Century. After acknowledging that he was indeed happy, Papyrus went on to talk about some of the monsters to both of you. Of course, you all kept an eye out for your beloved Yandereel who was, surprisingly, enjoying herself. You smiled at her proudly. She kicked anxiety hard on the butt and your only wish was to cheer wildly for her.

As you discussed (and took bets) on who might stick with whom, your eyes darted to the shorter skeleton who was making strangely good judgements on the topic.

 "Why won't you get in there? I bet you could find your SOULmate in a **heart** beat," you encouraged.

 "Nah. See me here, bud? I'm a skeleton. I don't have the **heart** for that," he mused.

 "And you'd spend your life alone and **heart** broken?"

 "At least I don't wear my **heart** on my sleeve,"

 "OH MY ASGORE. You, two, stop that, now!" Papyrus exclaimed.

 "Aw, come on, Papyrus. Lighten up. Have a change of... **heart** ,"

At your reply, both the brothers went nuts. One was infuriated, trying to speak words but, instead, sputtered gibberish while flailing his arms around like a madman. The other was hiding his face, trying to contain his uncontrollable laughter. Laughter... Wait. It hit you. You never heard him laugh before. Hearing a gist of it now it... it actually sounded nice. It's so... contagious. So much so that you found yourself laughing hysterically with him, the younger monster not recovering from his outburst.

 "You two, stop that!" Papyrus whined.

 "Why? Can't you appreciate a good pun, Pap?" you spread your arms, slightly recovering from your fit.

 "Nonsense! The Great Papyrus does appreciate puns! Just that yours are lazy and poorly delivered. Put a little more... **backbone** into it? NYEH HEH HEH!!"

You shook your head, giggling at his pun.

 "Yeah. Thanks to you, he wouldn't stop calling himself 'The Great Papyrus' anymore," Sans leaned in to whisper to you, his laughter still not faltering.

 "Oh, hush. Let him be. There's no denying that he is great,"

Sans wanted to say something to retort to that. But the words died out in his non-existent throat like fire extinguished by water, dissolving to sizzling smoke. He couldn't bring himself to discourage his brother so he went along with it.

After a few more moments of chatting, you heard a suspicious noise behind you. It was... unsettling. Well... that was an understatement. You almost had a heart attack. Your back was faced to the woods, a thicket of the unknown stretching out wide. Light cannot reach to every part of it as darkness consumed it as it got deeper and deeper.

The three of you looked at each other. What mysteries could be lying about?

 "I'll go check it," Sans offered.

 "Y-Yes. You go do that. I'll just be here and... protect the human," Papyrus trembled.

 "Roger that, bro,"

The short skeleton disappeared into the void, braving the wilderness boldly. You can't help but feel concerned and scared for him. The last thing you wanted on this lovely day was someone dying for your sake. The taller skeleton patted your shoulder in attempts to comfort you. Oddly, it worked. The anxiety didn't disappear but it did subside. You smiled at him as if telling him that you were now fine. He smiled back and distracted himself by looking at the crowd of monsters enjoying themselves.

The feeling still clung onto you but didn't last long, however. Why? For before your eyes, colors started to dance.

It was happening. You can't believe your eyes. SOULs were being brought out from monsters' physical form and floated in front of them. It seemed as if the entire Underground fell silent at this. Oh, the colors. You can't quite describe it. It was just like Toriel said. Magic swayed and dance around SOULs, preparing themselves to find the mate they're meant to be with. Then, the SOULs fled, searching for the one SOUL that matched theirs. Monsters began to chase after their SOUL, giddily trying to catch it like a play of tag. It wasn't long before two individuals found each other and introduced each other in a blushing mess. Or, if they knew each other, they simply laughed it off, a color of their blush glowing in their faces. It wasn't all at once. It was diverse and spontaneous, never a dull moment hanging about.

Couples who were already paired had their SOULs reignited as the festival wasn't only for SOULs who searched but also for SOULs who found and held on. You can't help but swoon at the sight. There was so much love, you felt you could vomit rainbows from all this sweetness. It was so... magical. Like music you can see. Emotions you can touch.

Your eyes suddenly widened as you began to realize something. Something important.

 "Paps, where's Yandee?" you straightened up.

Upon that statement, Papyrus stood on tiptoes, worriedly keeping an eye for your friend. You searched for her, too. Though it would have been better if you were taller. It wasn't long after Paps found her and stretched his finger to the distance.

And there you saw her.

Happy. Content. Free. Before her was none other than her beloved Sien. Never had you thought wind could blush until you saw them together. Yandee, being the excited girl she was, brought the poor fellow into her warm embrace. Tears started to fall from her eyes out of pure joy as Sien started to relax from her surprise hug, rubbing circles on her back to comfort her. Green and cyan auras escaped between the two of them. It was only what you could assume to be their SOULs linking together to become one. You never felt this much happiness for a friend. Papyrus gave you a high five, proud of the eely monster himself.

Yandee's eyes slightly opened despite them being blinded by tears. She found you standing out of the commotion and mouthed you a joyful yet silent "Thank you,"

You were shocked at this action but you couldn't react further. Sien pulled Yandee out of the hug and lovingly dried the tears on her eyes. She smiled at him, happy that he was finally hers and that she was finally his. They walked away the crowd, holding hands and chatting about something you couldn't hear.

SOULs continued to meet. Colors splashed on and radiated from one couple to another. There were some glows brighter than others. Some were dim and less lively. You didn't care. What you saw was something you wanted to see again. It was better than fireworks. Better than water fountains dancing like you saw on parks. It was better than all the magic you saw and all the power you felt. It was love. Pure love.

It couldn't get any better than that.

It came to a time where the excitement died down a bit. It was then when the lights suddenly dimmed. The atmosphere changed. The song softened and played a slow tune. Couples began whisking themselves to the dance floor and got themselves lost in the music, waltzing slowly under crystal-light. Oh, this was more amazing than you expected it to be.

Just as you thought it was all over and as you smiled, swaying to the music, you felt something conflicting in your chest. You grunted, clutching a familiar pendant, trying to mask your pain. How you maintained to keep silent, you had no clue.

You then felt a gloved hand tap your shoulder. It was Papyrus, staring at something.

 "(Y/N)..." he said.

You remember those stories you've heard where fate played on people's lives a bit? Well... This was one of those times. And you're the victim.

 "W-What?"

Before you was your purple SOUL, the SOUL of perseverance, glowing brightly. You'd seen your SOUL before as you've been on battles with other monsters. It wasn't this bright compared to the last time you saw it. Your SOUL was clearly trying to find its match but failed.

 "I don't understand! Why isn't your SOUL chasing its mate? If it is glowing like so, it must certainly have a partner! It can't be me! My SOUL isn't shining like that, see? Oh! Maybe they are just sick?" Papyrus wondered.

 "Or maybe they're no longer here..." you sighed sadly.

•

It was Jerry. Stupid Jerry. Why did he have to ruin such a peaceful moment? Sans scolded him, telling him to go back to where he came from. Jerry just scoffed and trudged grumpily back to Snowdin, dust blowing towards Sans' face. He coughed it off and wiped his skull clean, being the annoyed skeleton he is. What on earth was he doing there, anyways?

He reminded Sans of you, to be honest. He chuckled at that thought.

You.

He didn't know how to feel about you. You were a great companion and you were absolutely trustworthy. Though grumpy at times, you did appreciate a good tease. But he doesn't want to think that way. He tried so hard to find a negative tidbit about you but even those thoughts would flip to a more positive note. This was exactly why he didn't want to befriend you. He wanted it to stop. But he couldn't.

On his way back, he began hearing the noise from the town square. He assumed it was because it was the time SOULs started to find their mate. He smiled at the thought. He liked seeing everyone so happy. He picked up his pace, determined not to miss the special occasion.

Suddenly, a blue light flashed before his eyes and he came to a full stop. What was-

Wait. No!

It was his SOUL.

No. _That's_ _impossible_ , he thought. He didn't have the desire to have a mate. The very thought of handling such a commitment was too much for him. His life depending on another's and the other depending on him? In the case of his friends and family, that was okay. But this is a life or death deal here. And this is not platonic love. It was... well. Romantic. The kind of love one had to keep for all eternity. C'mon. That has to sound even a little bit scary.

He tried everything in his power to make it stop. To snuff out the light. To take away this... this... happy aura his SOUL was radiating. It didn't work.

As he tried to find some way to fix his dilemma, he heard someone's voice in a distance, yelling at a panicked frenzy. It was Papyrus. Of course! Papyrus can help. He's more knowledgeable about these things than he was as he's the more empathetic between the brothers. Of course he can help out. Maybe this might be a ruse or an accident.

Sans hurried to the direction he heard Papyrus' voice at, his SOUL following him close by. Why wasn't it flying out to find its mate? Regardless of the answer, he's just glad he didn't have to put through the sappy stuff.

There he was. Just a few meters more. He was talking to you but Sans couldn't bother. You probably didn't care about him at a-

 

_**THA-THUMP.** _

 

_**THA-THUMP.** _

 

_**THA-THUMP.** _

 

His SOUL suddenly started to beat wildly. No, it wasn't because of the running. He was sure of that. Why? SOULs never beat that loudly unless...

Oh.

_Oh, no._

It was then when he saw it. Your SOUL. It was glowing as bright as his only that, instead of a brilliant royal blue, yours was a vibrant shade of purple. What you and Papyrus didn't notice, however, was that your SOUL was beating as wild as Sans'. It seemed as if it was reaching out to his SOUL. But it couldn't, no matter how hard it tried. He began connecting the dots, the clues, the little pieces thrown in the open.

No.

It can't be.

He refused to accept it. Not because of who you are. Heck, you were a nice person to hang out with. Not because of your attitude towards him. He accepted that as some sort of karma. It was just... that... He couldn't bring himself to fall in love with you. He shouldn't. He couldn't. You are the sixth SOUL needed to break the Barrier. Nothing else. That was the plan. He wasn't supposed to get all close and mushy with you. He wasn't supposed to be your friend.

He wasn't supposed to and never wanted to fall in love with you.

And that just scared him even more.

Breathing heavily, he took one of his shortcuts and succuried away from the town square as far as possible. He had to do this now. He had to call the Royal Guard. He had to report there's a human in Snowasis. Your SOUL must be harvested and all that he had to do was wait for the last SOUL. When he reached to Snowasis' border, something held him back. It was something he never felt in a long time. Something that became numb to him. He tried to step out but he can't. He can't bring himself to. It wasn't because his SOUL was forcing itself towards you. No. It was because he couldn't bear to be away from you. And that wasn't forced either.

It was a matter of choice.

Any feeling you caused on him only grew stonger. He felt like slipping away from what he was supposed to do. He can't understand it. He didn't know why. He didn't know why it was you of all people. But he can't leave you or his family either.

Sighing, he took a step back and retreated to his house, instead. He shot Papyrus a text, saying he was home and wasn't doing well, shrugging off the mysterious noise as Jerry. He didn't tell him about his SOUL. He kept silent about seeing yours. He didn't utter how he found his SOULmate.

No one should know.

It was his and his SOUL's little secret.

Well, his, his SOUL and one other more.

•

Away from the hidden drama, a certain monster eel happened to see EVERYTHING. Her SOULmate asked her what's wrong. She simply smiled and said nothing.

What she saw was something, though. Something she would very like to see progressing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NYEH HEH HEH, indeed X3
> 
> How do you think Sansy-boi's gonna handle this? Let me know! I'm curious of everything that ran in your pretty little heads while reading this bit :3
> 
> Here's your catalyst ^w^ Hope ya like it with a side of of suspense and angst.
> 
> Sorry. I'm a sucker for Soulmate AUs X3


	9. "The Thought of You"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You just can't get out of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've plotted the chapters in advance and wrote their summaries to see how the story goes. This is a scene that's very hard for me to write. I normally take two days (tops) to set the mood and write. But, today, I just felt like I wanted to let out whatever comes in my head. Though the plot for this chapter is already set, I have absolutely no idea how to convey it. But, oh, well. Let's give it a try.
> 
> (Did this because I was weeping from emotional scenes for like thirty minutes. The Feels Queen got her feels. Time to pass it onto you.)
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Thought of You" by Ryan Woodward. The animation made from this song inspired me a lot ^u^

Sans was a bit yellow.

That's all Papyrus picked up. That usually meant he is sick. But when he checked his temperature (yes, skeletons can do that), he seemed fine. He had no idea what's wrong with his brother. He lay in bed in a fetal position for more than twelve hours since the festival last night, was sweating excessively, had shivers and chills even though the weather isn't supposed to affect skeletal monsters that way, and, on top of that, he won't talk to anyone. Not even him. When he asked if he felt fine, Sans simply nodded. His appetite was fine and he didn't feel dizzy, according to what Papyrus understood. He even consulted his uncle who was one of the best healers in Underground. Even he can't tell what's wrong and just advised to leave him be until he gets better.

That didn't help the younger skeleton. He couldn't bare the thought of Sans lying to him. That burden carried on as he went to Sien's cafe where he promised to meet you and the new couple. And that burden didn't go unnoticed.

 "Hey, bud. What's wrong?" was the first thing you asked.

 "It's-um... Sans. He's feeling sick lately and I don't know why. He looks sick but he doesn't feel sick. I just don't understand. I know he's hiding something from me. And he never did that. Ever," Papyrus worried.

 "Maybe he got a seizure from that light show yesterday," you teased.

 "No! This is serious! He won't talk to anyone! I don't know what to do anymore!"

The group fell silent. You uncomfortably rubbed your nape. You hadn't seen Sans since he went off to check that noise. Papyrus said it was a stupid guy named Jerry whom you shouldn't be concerned about. You found Sans' new behavior odd. You've been getting along quite well lately and you couldn't, for the life of you, remember if you did something wrong. You reminded yourself not to go hard on... yourself. You've only really connected to him for a few days so it was pretty bad if you'd jump to conclusions.

Sien only felt as awkward as you. Yeah, he knew Sans from waaaaay back. He's one of the closest friends to his family and even got along with one of his fire element cousins who was pretty hard to talk to. But he didn't know enough about him to help him get better. Though Sans talks to almost anyone, there are only a few people who connect with him on a personal level.

And it just so happens that his SOULmate was one of them.

Yandee knew Sans practically her whole life. Mostly because she and Papyrus got along easily. Somehow, if one is a childhood friend of Sans', one would have access to his trust and his deepest thoughts. Yandee knew almost all of them.

 "Let's visssit him!" she declared.

 "Yandee, I get you are concerned but... he doesn't really want to meet with anyone at the moment," the tall skeleton lifted his shoulders.

 "Pssh. I don't care! I'm gonna knock down hisss door and tear him to-"

 "Uh, might not be the best idea, hun. BUUUT... we can bring him snacks if he wants. I can whip up a blueberry pie in a minute. He always like that!" Sien forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

The eel sighed. "Fine. But I'm only taking that ssssuggestion because I love you,"

 "Awww! I love you, too, baby!" Her SOULmate giddily wrapped his arms around her, making her giggle and blush a darker shade of green to compliment her complexion. At this act, Papyrus twisted his face in disgust and rolled his eyes at the unfolding romance.

 "Take your mush elsewhere! I have a major dilemma here!" Papyrus yelled.

 "Alright, alright! Jeez! No need to be bossssy!" Yandereel scoffed as you giggled at their little spat.

Within fifteen minutes, you found yourself at the skeleton family's threshold, waiting for the door to be unlocked by the tall skeleton. Century wasn't around as he was attending to secret MERCY group business, Papyrus informed. He pushed the door open, quietly enough to not starle his brother but making enough noise to acknowledge his presence.

 "Sans? I'm home..."

No response.

The little brother sighed. "I suppose he is still not up for talking. Erm... make yourselves comfortable. Use the TV if you have to. I'll just get you some drinks in a moment,"

 "I'm gonna go talk to him," Yandee volunteered.

Before she made another move, her SOULmate grabbed hold of her wrist, gently pulling her down. "Honey, remember what we've talked about. Don't overwhelm the guy,"

 "Chill! I'll try to be cool, my little ssslice of pie," she innocently grinned.

On that note, Yandee proceeded to make her way upstairs and into the older skeleton's bedroom. She spoke softly and you couldn't make out what she said over the TV Sien just turned on. By the next second, she let herself in and passive-aggressively closed the door behind her. You shrugged, getting bored and your attention diverted to Sien who was uninterestingly flipping channels.

 "You guys have weird nicknames, you know that?" you suddenly commented.

 "Hey, I bet if you get mushy with someone, you'd give him weid nicknames, too," he shrugged.

 "I'm more of the general nickname type of gal: baby, babe, angel, sweetheart,"

 "Ugh. So common,"

 "That's the whole point!"

 "Nuh-uh! I am not having mush under my roof!" Papyrus shouted from the kitchen.

All you could to was chuckle at your new company, both good and nice guys but different, all the same.

•

"Sansss? Can I come in?"

Nothing.

 "Well... whether you like it or not, I'm going in,"

The eely monster gently closed the door behind her but also added a hint that she's upset. He should've expected that, given her name. She then stood gingerly, unsure how to convince him to get off his butt and do something. For a moment, she considered threatening her with the knife she hid in her sock but she knew Sien would not be pleased by that.

 "Oh! I remembered..." she cleared her throat. "I sssaw you yesssterday, you know? I know you found your SSSOULmate. And I know it wasss, (Y/N)," she began.

That statement itself was enough to make the short skelton's bones jump. He abruptly yelped and turned around to face his friend who was simply looking at him like what she said was nothing. That has got to be the first intense action he did on that day. He gave her a look that was loudly wonder how she, of all monsters, knew.

 "I've got a keen eye, Sssansss. You know how much I glanced at Sssien'sss shop whenever a random girl walksss by," she folded her arms.

Sans simply froze in his place, the yellow color of his face beginning to drain. Yandee immediately realized his fear of you knowing that he was you SOULmate. She then shook her head to reassure him.

 "I didn't tell her! That's why I came here! YOU have to tell her! You need her, Sansss! You know that one primary need of SssOULmatesss is bonding. I am not gonna let either of you die while hope isss in your reach," she hissed.

The skeleton slapped himself in the face and shook his head.

 "What a whimp! Look. If you don't hang out with her sssoon, you. Will. Die. Both of you,"

He waved his boney hand in front of her as if shooing her reply away.

 "You're imposssible! Can you at leassst ssswallow up your pride for once and trussst that I'm right on thisss one?! You've been doing thisss sssince we were kidsss and it isssn't funny anymore! Ssshe needss you, too, you know?! I can't afford losssing both of you. I need a maid of honor on my wedding, y'know! And Sssien needsss you as one of the groom'sss men!"

Sans gave her an annoyed look. If that wasn't enough to piss her off, she didn't know what else would.

 "Tangent! Jussst tell her. Who knowsss? Maybe sshe'll like a bonebag like you,"

Next thing he knew, the door slightly slammed and the footsteps of a particular monster angrily trodded downstairs. She didn't understand him. Well, of course, she doesn't. He didn't talk throughout their conversation. She may know how thinks. But she didn't know why. He can't tell you. He can't be anywhere near you. Or, at least, not yet.

_Now is not the time._

•

 "How was it?" you chirped.

 "Fine!" Yandereel plastered a clearly sarcastic smile. "Pie, let'ssss go. Oh, and, (Y/N)? He wantssss to talk to you,"

 "What?" you pulled your head back, surprised.

 "What?" Papyrus peeked out of the kitchen, curious.

 "What?" Sien stood up when his SOULmate pulled him up, confused.

 "Sanssss needs to talk to you. Now, come on, Sssien,"

The couple headed for the door. Papyrus was about to protest for them to stay but was just befuddled at the entire scene. Sien was fighting his SOULmate's grip, glancing back at the TV whenever he can.

 "But the episode was getting good!" he whined.

 "We have a quick errand to run! Papyrusss, you're coming!"

 "Wha-um. Okay..."

The three of them stepped outside and your eely friend slammed a door, again. You sat there, unsure what to do. Why did Sans want to talk to you all of a sudden? Why you? Isn't Papyrus closer to him than your weird self? Everything was happening so fast, you can't process everything at the moment.

You sat back, took a deep breath and sighed. Well, if Sans needed so badly to talk, you guess you could help him out.

•

_Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out! Pleeeaaassee... get out of my head! GET THE FRICK OUT. I shouldn't be overthinking this! You shouldn't have come! This was all a stupid mistake. Just get ou-_

 "Hey, Sans? I'm coming in..."

 _WHAT THE HECK?!_ Sans rudely thought.

 "Yandee said you wanted to talk to me. So... I thought I'd drop by..."

Sans fell silent. Of course, it was stupid Yandereel! Darn it! This wasn't one of her mangas! This was real. His problem was real! He angrily growled under his breath, silently cursing at the eel for bringing you here. His anger boiled up so much that his brain shut down and he began speaking things he wasn't supposed to say. Like:

 "G E T.  O U T,"

 "H-Huh?" you whimpered.

 "I  d o n ' t  n e e d  y o u .  I  d o n ' t  w a n t  t o  t a l k  t o  y o u .  G e t  l o s t,"

 "Hey, I'm just trying to help. From the looks of it, you're in a tough spot. We're all worried for you. If you just tell us what's wrong, maybe it'll help you. I understand how you feel and I-"

 "Look, you don't know how I feel, okay? Stop doing that! You can't just put yourself in someone else's shoes and empathize with them! You can't just show us monsters kindness! Stop winning everybody! Stop talking to them and make friends and, for Asgore's sake, STOP BEING NICE TO ME!!" Sans yelled.

You stepped back, shocked at his sudden rage. Those words cut you like a knife in your soul. You've had enough. That smile and gentleness won't last long. You've bottled up these thoughts for a while and, thankfully, Sans smashed the bottle to pieces.

 "What's with you?! Don't you know how hard it is to be nice to everyone ESPECIALLY YOU?! I've worked for YEARS to get this attitude and now you'll just chunk it over like a dead dog?! I've had to put up with a heck lot of your stupid crap; I don't even know why I care!! Huh. You know, what?! If you want me to treat you wrong, then I guess I'll have to!"

 "THEN DO IT!! FIGHT ME! KILL SOMEONE! SAY SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE ME HATE YOU!!"

 "Oh ho ho! Something?! I got plenty of stuff I got to say! Like, for one, HOW DARE YOU?! You have the fricken gall to say that to me?! WHAT AM I TO YOU, A MURDERER?! WHAT HAVE I DONE YOU WRONG?! YOU'RE JUST ASSUMING THINGS THAT AREN'T EVEN THERE. You're a coward. Don't think your brother and your uncle are disappointed in you. They have every right to be. In fact, I'll add on to that. I bet your own father's pretty upset once he sees the monster you've become. Because of that, I'm just gonna keep on going and keep on surviving because you'll NEVER have my SOUL and you'll NEVER GET TO THE SURFACE! YOU DESERVE TO BE STUCK HERE UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE!"

**POW!**

An HP bar suddenly popped up between both of you, a full bar of seventeen going down to one by a purple attack. Sans held onto his ribcage, hissing at the sudden act, a pang of pain physically and on his SOUL clinging onto him. He looked at you with so much fury in his eyes that it managed to blow out the little white lights that once shown. It was only then when your realized the damage you've done.

Below you were the four options that appeared during a battle sequence: FIGHT, ACT, ITEM and MERCY. And your hand was on FIGHT.

His HP was on one. Any more of your words could've killed him.

You stepped back, breathing heavily as your hand flung to cover your mouth.

 "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I-I... I..."

Tears started to bead in your eyes. Panic coursed throughout your veins and you suddenly became scared to say another word. You felt like if you spoke any more, someone would get hurt or, worse, die. Sound died out and you felt yourself going dumb.

Without any warning, you bolted out of Sans' door and out of the house, skidding your way into yours. You didn't dare to look back. You hands frantically fled to the locks, sealing the doors shut. Finally, you trapped yourself in your bedroom after ridding any way for anyone to get in. You sat at the corner of your bed, hugging your knees as you let it all sink in.

You've never fought before. You refused to fight with anyone for the main reason you began to like monsters and because it was Toriel's request. You never saw what that FIGHT button can do. Now that you know, you don't want to use it ever again.

You thought about how stupid you were. You knew you had a very bad temper and might cause violence once provoked enough. But this being your attack? Words? And that they were poison? It was too much. For the first time in your life, you wished you were mute. You wished your voicebox wouldn't work so that you can't verbally hurt anyone.

Shaking you buried your face on your hands, silently weeping everything out.

You almost killed someone.

**~~MURDERER.~~ ~~WORTHLESS.~~ ~~TRAPPED.~~**

 "Why are you crying?"

You gasped, turning your head around, finding the monster you avoided standing on the other side of the bed. Right. Sans can take "shortcuts". Why did you forget about that? No. The better question was: why on Underground was he there? You thought he wanted you to hurt him.

 "Aw, geez. I didn't mean that, kid," he rubbed the back of his skull. "I didn't mean to scare you off like that. I just... needed a reason to hate you. Once people become your friends, they get stuck to you and getting to the Surface will become impossible,"

You stared at him, eyes wide and big, fat tears continuing to trickle down your cheeks. Now it was Sans' turn to realize the damage he'd done. If he didn't manipulate you to fight, this wouldn't happen. He felt guilt crawl up his back as he saw you silent and broken. If anything, you were the one who looked like you had one HP, not him.

 "No, kid. C'mon. I'm sorry. I-"

You weren't making a sound. You were so frozen in pure and utter fear. You tried to speak but nothing came out but a weak croak. Sans' white pinpricks shrunk smaller. He cut you deeper than he thought he had. He pushed his reasons and logic aside, his hands finding their way to either side of your face.

 "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Don't do that to me, kid! Papyrus will kill me if he sees you hurt. C'mon. Say something. Anything. Yell at me again if you- Wait. That's a stupid idea. Heh. Forget I said that," he rambled.

At hearing his suggestion to yell at him again, you squeezed your eyes closed and shook your head, your hand still not leaving your mouth. Sans' eyebrows furrowed in worry. This wasn't just about Papyrus being disappointed in him anymore. He hurt you. He can feel it in his SOUL. He felt your anxiety bursting through the roofs. Your confusion shaking in your mind. Your regret squeezing you to shrink.

He wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't one for taking care of a significant other (even though the other doesn't know she's his significant other). His instinct overcoming him, he drew closer to you, wrapping his arms around your head and your back. His right hand gently rubbed circles on your spine, desperately trying to calm you down.

 "Shhh... I'm sorry. I'm sorry... It was my fault," he whispered.

You closed your eyes, trying to relax but words still didn't come out your throat. What you didn't see was that your SOULs were glowing inside both of you. The bonding process seemed to relax you, your shoulders beginning to losen up. While Sans was relieved you were finally calming down, he dreaded of what he saw before him. Great. Now both of you are going to be inseperable. Just. Great.

Both of you stayed that way for a while. Though the bonding process you didn't know died down, you still felt traumatized at your ability. Sans can't leave you like this. You had to say something before he gets out of the house or he's doomed for eternity.

Suddenly, he thought up of an idea.

 "Hey... what do you call a skeleton who stupidly tried to hurt himself by hurting someone?" Sans asked.

You looked up to him, confused, and shrugged.

 "A numbskull," he winked, chuckling.

A breath escaped your nostrils and a smile curled up your lips. It was working! He had to try harder.

 "Okay. How about this one? Wanna know why I'm gonna get dunked on the toilet later? 'Cuz of my **crappy** personality,"

That pun and self-burn got him a snort from you. Your voice still didn't squeak but that was progress! He began to smile, suddenly feeling the urge to make more puns or do anything that can make you laugh.

 "Oh, you like potty humor, huh? Okay. Hold on." He dug in his pockets and then offered you a handshake. "Shake my hand,"

Not even hesitating, you reached out and held his hand, a loud and ridiculous fart noise oozing in the air. The vibration of the whoopee cushion tickled your palm. The sound was so horrible but it didn't stop you from smiling, anyway.

Then, you laughed.

Finally.

It wasn't a huge laugh or the kind of laugh that made you roll on the floor. But it was enough of a laugh for the prank to be considered funny and enough for your voice to finally crack.

 "See? Told everyone it's always funny. No one believed me," Sans grinned widely.

He remembered a small detail he must pay attention to. "Can you talk now?"

 "Only... a little," you tried.

Your voicebox was still trying to recover. The amount of trauma the incident caused was so much that it almost sealed your throat shut. He should make up for that. He promised himself he would.

 "At least you can," the skeleton sighed. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen,"

 "It-okay. Forgive... you,"

He looked at you in the eye, his heart suddenly feeling warm.

 "Even after I traumatized you, you're still nice to me? Heh. You really are something, kid,"

You frowned. "Not... kid,"

 "Alright, alright. I admit I've been overusing that nickname. Guess I'll give you another one... How about..." he tapped his chin, getting deep in thought. A word ran through his mind and made its way to his mouth without his permission. "... Sweetheart?"

You blinked in surprise. He was surprised himself. He didn't know why he said that. The yellow in his face completely erased and was replaced by a blue glow, instead.

 "Uh... yeah. You're pretty nice to everyone and you've got a big heart. So... yeah! 'Sweetheart' suits you, I guess... I mean... if you don't like it, I'll give you another one,"

Your cheeks began to feel warm. You tried to advert your eyes off the skeleton in front of you, flattered at his remark. It didn't stop the widening smile on your face, though.

 "Welp. 'Sweetheart' it is, then..." Sans chuckled.

That was awkward.

So awkward, in fact, that you two didnt say anything for a while. Your mind drifted off from his sweet offer to your bitter words. You weren't the only broken soul in here. Those words did damage for a reason. They did affect Sans and hurt him.

 "S-sorry. What... I said. Didn't-mean... it. Wish... you-happy. Go... Surface. You... not-bad," you croaked, desperately trying to speak in full sentences.

He stared at you for a long time. The words you said before washed away like text on the sand disappearing after a wave rolls to the shore. He smiled at you as if saying thank you. His HP bar has gone from one to seven. You smiled, relieved.

 "You're not bad, too, sweetheart. Not bad at all..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my Meepmorp in a chapter form.
> 
> It represents the big of a mess my brain is right now XP Especially that yelling scene.  
> Jeez, I spent more time on this than I thought. Idk if I'm satisfied. Finished writing this at two in the morning so it might have some quirks. Ima fix 'em tomorrow but, for now...
> 
> Enjoy this Meepmorp. It's pretty long, ain't it?
> 
> Also, awkward totally-plantonic-and-nothing-romantic-is-definitely-going-on-between-the-two-of-them friendship hug! YEY! And Yandereel and Sien have legit diaglogues! YEY!
> 
> Heh heh... I should go to bed XP
> 
> EDIT: I forgot to add in that the idea of the Perseverance SOUL's attack were just plain and simple words from the Omega Flowey battle. Remember how negative words did damage to you on the Perseverance's part and how kind words can heal you? That's what's happening in this chapter.
> 
> To add onto that, the Perseverance reader's attack involves KR or karma, the same attack Sans uses on a Genocide run to take away your INV. Sans obviously did something wrong and the reader was so into attacking Sans which is why his HP had gone from full to one. If Sans had been nicer, his HP wouldn't have gone so low. The idea that that attack came from the reader is an interesting tidbit I liked to link. So yeah ^u^
> 
> Just thought you should know.


	10. "I'm Afraid to Fly"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If only you'd fall so he can catch you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! This week's been pretty busy. Not to mention that my exams are next week XP But, hey, at least my exams involve drawing so that's fun, amirite? Perks of being an animation student -w-
> 
> Prepare to be annoyed. Reader-chan's gonna get a little too naive starting this point. Nothing really important happens here. Just some Sans x Reader shenanigans.
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Fallin'" by Lea Salonga. Tryin' to muster up a little Filipino pride ^u^
> 
> EDIT: WHAT IN THE NAME OF FLOWEY?! 1K+ HITS?!?! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!?! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! ♥♡♥♡
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ...you awesome clods :3

Heights weren't a big issue to you.

Sure, when you look down, you suddenly feel like you've spun around a meadow of golden flowers for thousands of times. But, other than that, you saw any length of height as a challenge. A thrill. You were so sucked into the idea of flying with no attachments that heights don't even faze you.

So when Yandereel invited you to hang out with her and Papyrus to make up for the time you missed a couple of days ago, you just couldn't say no.

No one knew that you and Sans fought (thank Asgore for sound-proof walls). When asked what he wanted to talk to you about, he simply replied that he was concerned of your voice being slightly different than normal and a lousy excuse that you can't quite remember. Yandereel did no appreciate that answer. The others took the lie, though, leaving you be to rest. It was actually Sans' request to leave you to yourself. The mess he made is still one he wanted to fix despite your protests of it not being necessary. He is a stubborn clod, anyway, so... what do you got to do? You had to admit that those rest days did you good. Turns out he's right.

You merrily strutted out of town to a secret location you all agreed to meet. Your cloak flapped in the wind and your blue hoodie concealing the warmth of your body. It wasn't long before you found the group chatting in the middle of the woods. Yandee clapped in excitement at your arrival. You gave her a smile and a small wave before greeting them hello. Something was odd. You recalled that, when Yandereel invited you, it was going to only be the three of you. Now there were... four?

Oh, wait.

 "Heya, Sans! I'm surprised to see you here," you raised an eyebrow.

 "Pap didn't want to part with me," he smirked.

 "That's not it! I... just... Yandee told me the place where we're going is dark so..." Papyrus' eyes shifted nervously.

 "Aww... it's okay, Pap. You could always squish me when you're scared, y'know?"

 "But you're made out of flesh and gooey stuff! I don't want you to explode! I need someone a little more... solid to squish,"

Giggling, you reached out to the tall monster's neck, pulling him down to your level to rub your knuckles on the top of his skull. Papyrus giggled playfully as he was ticklish at that part. It was strange that only you, aside from his brother, can give him a noogie. The reason behind you having access to do that and not everyone else was a mystery to this day. Whatever reason, you both looked adorable in those faces, in Sans' opinion. Emphasis on your face. He didn't realize that his eye sockets went down to half-closed, that his trashbag grin softened to a warm smile and that his SOUL started to beat wildly, managing to maintain its form despite feeling it was like goo.

Yandereel rolled her eyes, nudging her elbow on the short skeleton's humerus.

 "You're turning blue..." she coughed.

 "I'm a little winded, okay?" he growled.

 "Yeah, right. You know I can see right through you, right?"

 "Not in the mood, Yan,"

Papyrus perked up. "For what? Adventure? No worries, brother! I have packed several goodies in my bag for you to regain your energy! You can have all two hundred of them, if you want!"

 "Whoaaa... Two hundred? Isn't that, I don't know, a bit too much?" you raised you hands.

 "Nope! It's just enough! If I had two hundred and one though, THAT'S too much,"

 "He's a light-packer kinda guy. You'll get used to it," Yandereel leaned to you.

 "Light- W-What the... YOU CALL THAT **'LIGHT'**?!"

You didn't get a definite answer as the group was starting to head onward. Only Sans gave you some sort of answer but it was his usual shrug so it doesn't really justify anything. Though you can't wrap your head around the issue, you decided to keep quiet about it as trying to make them vomit a retort would be pushing it too far. And it would be a little awkward in their part. A month of living with these creatures and they were still a mystery to you as you are to them.

The four of you ventured off to the unknown (your unknown, anyways), catching up with recent events as you did so. Several of monsters who found their SOULmates a few days ago were planning to married to make it official, Yandee informed. You expressed how excited you were for them as you've made friends with almost everybody in town at this point. Although, you had to admit that it was going to be tiring, attending one ceremony after another. The conversation went on to have bigger gaps when you were reaching in higher altitude. You had no idea where you were going because, as Papyrus said, it was a surprise. It did involve ropes a grappling hook and climbing, though.

Soon, you found yourself to a familiar row of pillars that looked chipped and damaged. They were high above the ground and were a bit enveloped by darkness so you couldn't see it clearly unless you looked close and squinted your eyes.

 "Wait... Does that lead to the Ruins?" you realized.

The eel nodded. "Yup! Can't get in no matter how hard we tried, though. Some sort of magic is blocking us off as if it was trying to keep us out. Though we can't get inside, the view from up there is worth the climb,"

 "Can't wait to see it. So what's the plan?"

No one answered, again, for, this time, the answer was before you. Papyrus cracked his knuckles and his neck, readying for some sort of big action. The grappling hook was tied to the rope that wound around Pap's waist. You didn't put the pieces together until Papyrus rocketed himself on the wall, clinging onto the cracks for support. To your astonishment, it to took him four hops to get to close to an edge where you can sit on. You mouth fell open and you felt like your jaw hit the ground. Was there anything about this monster that didn't surprise you?

 "Something wrong?" Sans asked.

 "How the hec- the guy's a fricken gymnast!" you exclaimed.

The other skeleton simply shrugged. "You should see him in his 'Jog Boy' outfit,"

 "Ugh... I give up,"

 "Heh heh. That doesn't sound like you,"

 "With this guy, it's gonna sound a lot like me,"

 "Hey, guys! Do ya wanna come up or not?!" Yandereel called, already nine feet on top of both of you.

Sans allowed you to go first regardless of your offers to let him go first. Climbing ropes wasn't exactly your strong-suit and you don't want to stand in the way of everyone. He assured you you'll do just fine and you finally gave in at that statement.

So far, it was going good. You were catching up to them just fine as you ignored the burning sensation on the palms of your hand and the tension on your gastrocnemius as you struggled to keep your feet on the wall. The fellow below you, however and unfortunately, wasn't really comfortable at this height. Sweat was visibly on his brow and you can feel the rope convulsing a bit at his grip. As Yandereel finally reached to the top, Sans' hand slipped and let go. You weren't sure what to do, your body reacting before you could even think clearly. The two monsters on top yelled his name as he began to fall. You heart thumped wildly, adrenaline coursing up your veins as you squeezed you eyes shut.

The next thing you knew was that someone was gripping on you arm.

You opened your eyes and looked down, expecting the image of Sans falling. But, to your surprise, he was latching onto your arm. The white lights in his eyes were so small and narrow. He can't believe you actually did that. That the first thing your instincts made you do was to save him.

 "Heh..." You chuckled. "Caught'cha,"

 "Uh... thanks, sweetheart," he grinned nervously.

The tall skeleton was taken aback by the nickname. "Sweetheart?!"

 "Well, that is new..." Yandereel smirked, resting her head on one hand.

 "But, Sans, you haven't found your SOULmate yet! What if it isn't her?"

Face tinted in blue embarrassment, the shorter skeleton's shoulder's tensed up. "I-It's just a friendly nickname, Paps. It's not a SOULmate thing. L-Look. Are y'all gonna get us up or what?"

Yandereel simply chuckled. "I dunno... I'm kinda liking the look of this,"

 "Yan, I swear to Asgore, get us up or I'm gonna give ya a bad time,"

 "OKAY. You guys can argue later. Let's just focus on not dying, shall we?" you offered.

So three minutes and a sprained shoulder later, both of you managed to get to the top safely. You had no idea what's been going on with the two of them but Yandereel kept teasing Sans and giving him subtle nudges and he didn't appreciate it. Not one bit. You supposed it was about something embarrassing since every time she gave a mischievous glare, he'd curse himself and grow a bit blue.

You ignored this, though. Because when you finally caught your breath, you looked up and saw a masterpiece before you.

 "Whoa..." you breathed.

You can see the entire Underground from this view. Snowasis was the nearest town from the Ruins, its warm aura, despite the cold weather, standing out from all the others. On a fair distance was Snowdin, looking colder and bleaker than the town you reside in. It didn't really look human-friendly. Up ahead was a cave-ish structure blocking the view. You couldn't see it nor what's inside it, but it looked interesting to say the least. Further in was some sort of land surrounded by lava. Somewhere in the middle of it was something like a complex power plant. Looked dangerous but you were still curious of what adventures it might bring you. Finally, there lay what you heard was New Home, the capital city of monsters, the castle towering in the center of it all. It was huge, stretching out as far as your eyes can see. There were probably more hidden towns somewhere but those were all you can see at the moment. Each sector was different but it had its own charm. Oh, how you longed to venture on every part of them. They are all so... unique. So different. It was unlike anything you've seen in the Surface.

 "Well?" Papyrus encouraged.

 "I-It's... oh, it's incredible. Just... different climates and different settings all fitting together in one cramped space. It's amazing what you guys did despite your very limited resources. A-and, not to mention, you've done quite a an amazing job sorting everything out that- I'm rambling, aren't I?" You stopped yourself.

 "Heehee! I knew you'd like it. You told us how much you wanted to experience every part of the Underground so we figured giving you a look of it would be a good way to start," Yandereel explained.

 "Oh, man. But where do I go first?! There's so much to choose from..."

 "Yeah... Wouldn't advise you to go near New Home, though. That's where the Royal Guard is heavy,"

 "My gosh... This is all so amazing, right?" You looked at your friends who nodded proudly in agreement. "Sans?"

Sans didn't look so amazed to you. He was shifting uneasily, sweat tracing his skull. His eyes had gone blank despite trying to advert his gaze to the depth below him.

 "Ha... You okay, there?" you smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

 "Yeah... Just... peachy..." he replied, his voice trembling.

 "I knew Sien should've come along. He'd slap this guy right across the face and give him a piece of his mind!" Yandee enthusiastically said.

 "Why didn't he come? I asked you that earlier but you just dodged the question," you made sure.

 "I... Well... Um..."

 "Is there something you are not telling us, Yandee?" Papyrus grew concerned.

 "Well... It's just that..." Accepting defeat, she sighed. "I don't know what it feels like to really fall in love, okay? I'm just scared this will be another infatuation that goes away. Sien doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. Heck, I don't deserve him at all. I've been crushing on fictitious and real guys my whole life and they all just faded away at some point. I want what I'll have with Sien to be real but... I can't be sure. I've been trying to avoid him all day to figure myself out but... it just isn't working well.."

 "I know how it feels like to fall in love..." you suddenly spoke up.

 "WHAT?!" The two others exclaimed.

 "Wait. You fell in love with someone before?!" Sans grabbed your shoulder, his anxiety seemingly gone.

 "Y-Yes. I cared for someone back in the Surface and he cared for me. That's not important. What's important right now is how Yandee feels," You turned around, facing your friend. "You want to know what falling in love feels like? It's putting his happiness above your own. It's not being afraid of death when it comes to his safety. You'd put your life on the line for him, doing anything you can to keep him alive. When he smiles, it makes you happy. When he's depressed, you feel the same. Just the simple thought of him can make your day a hundred times better and make your worries lighter than usual.

 "It's not really like what we've seen in your movies. Sure, it's about what you feel. But it's also what you do because of that feeling. If he's contented, happy, you're doing great. Because if you really love him, you'd do anything that's right to keep that unique, bright smile on his face, to let him know that you truly love him... and it just feels so much better when that smile is caused by you..."

Everyone paused.

Uplifted by your words, you began to see a curl of a smile at the tip of you friend's lips. Papyrus stared at you in awe even though he can't fully grasp and understand the concept of being in love.

Yandereel pulled you to a hug, silently thanking you for your help.

 "So... what happened to him? I mean... you don't seem to be determined to go back to the Surface. Common sense tells me your relationship with him is, one way or another, over," Sans wondered loudly after you separated from the embrace.

 "He, um... Just... Something happened. That's all you need to know. I don't feel like talking about it now. Yan-Yan needs help. Not me," you stared at the ceiling.

He didn't look satisfied with your reply. He figured that he'll just have to wait. "Sorry..."

 "Don't feel bad," You reached for a hidden pendant. "I know all of you are curious about my past. Now's just not the time..."

He nodded, understanding what you meant. Both of you made a deal so he had to respect your end of the bargain. He still felt bad for prying, though.

An hour has passed and sitting there became too awkward for all of you. Papyrus helped the three of  you back down and leaped afterwards, sticking landing perfectly. You were kind of disappointed to not hear him yell the way you expected him to before.

Your walk back home didn't feel comfortable either. Papyrus and Yandereel were up ahead, chatting a few feet away from you and the older brother. Well, it could've gone worse. Still... this felt so uneasy for you. Something exciting was happening and it just... died out.

 "Hey. I'm sorry again. For, you know... everything," Sans spoke up.

You looked at him, studying his expression as you went on. "It's alright, okay? I forgive you. One of us was bound to get hurt with the way we're treating each other before. Consider yourself lucky it wasn't you. And I don't mean that in the worst way possible,"

 "Sweetheart, ya gotta stop doin' that. Your selflessness is admirable and all but... stompin' yourself down. That ain't a good way to go,"

 "Sorry. I'm still not used to the fact that people are concerned about me and want to help me. It's usually the other way around,"

 "Well, things changed, a'ight? You better get used to it... Tell you what. Meet me at the border tomorrow night," he offered.

 "What for?" You scoffed, smirking.

 "For helping you get used to the fact other people care. Consider it... a training of some kind,"

 "Hee. Alright, Mr. I-suddenly-care-for-the-fallen-human-who-is-supposed-to-be-my-ticket-to-freedom. I take your invitation,"

 "Hey, that was rude. You're still a human SOUL ripe for the taking but I'm also still a part of the MERCY group and I'm just doin' my job. Not exactly an easy community to back out from,"

Alright. You can handle this. Sans seemed to be an interesting guy who is also interested in the unknown. At that moment, you realized why his younger brother thought you both would get along so easily. Both of you went on rivals for a month to almost close friends in five days. This was... interesting.

A question lingered at the back of your mind, tickling your curiosity to the point where you're willing to say something you know the answer to.

 "How about you?"

 "Hmm?" Sans returned the glance.

 "Have you fallen in love before?"

He stopped, staring at you for a moment. You became nervous, worried that you've stepped on a line or something. But moments later, his gaze returned to the snow beneath you, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.

 "No, sweetheart. Never been in love before,"

As you stayed behind, staring at him in wonder, he went ahead of you, not having the guts to look back. He dared not show his blueberry face to you. Because at this point, that answer was a lie; to both you and himself.

He's a clumsy fella. We all know he's starting to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh mah gawsh. What the heck is this abomination? XDDDD
> 
> WAS I HIGH WRITING THIS CHAPTER? IT JUST FELT LIKE IT WAS MISSING SOMETHING. UGGGHHH!!! I HATE YOU, WRITER'S BLOCK!! OH... I SO LOATHE YOU.
> 
> Let me know what you think of it, doh.
> 
> I also have this headcanon that monsters don't really call their partners girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, etc. Though they're labeled as that, I just feel they'll use the term SOULmate. Idk. Just a tidbit.
> 
> And, DANG! Is Reader-chan getting mysterious or WHAT?! *weird Peridot noises*


	11. "Really Wanna See You Tonight"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOLY STARS (ft. Random Red Ribbon from the Dump)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello! Sorry for the delay... again! Just finished my exams so I'm kinda fussing over everything. They were not bad ('cuz being an animation student, we rarely get written exams X3) HAVE MERCY XS Hope ya enjoy this chapter!
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Really Wanna See You Tonight" by Dan Seals 'cuz Dan Seals rules, okay? RIP, you legend.
> 
> ...
> 
> Also...
> 
>  
> 
> **HEY! ATTENTION!!!**
> 
>  
> 
> When you finish this chapter, kindly comment on your theories of what's going on and regarding the Reader's past and/or the story, in general. I've already set out the plot but I need to know where your mind is to know I'm going on the right track.
> 
> It would really mean a lot to me :3  
> Carry on.

He didn't know why he wanted to hang out with you that night. Maybe it was his lovey-dovey SOUL talking? Yet he didn't complain either. Your company, no matter how awkward or unsettling it may be, was kinda nice. This was a good opportunity to test if you have bad intentions, anyway. And maybe, just maybe, some sort of miraculous accident might happen and, I don't know, the Royal Guard (more specifically, the Head) might spot you? A part of him struggled with that possibility. Struggled to stop himself. He pushed it away but it lingered, nonetheless.

Trudging on his way towards the border, he watched his shoes crunch on the snow beneath him as if he's trying to anchor himself to reality. His hands were buried deep in his pant pockets in attempts to get you out of his head. You weren't in there the bad way. Just the stupid way, in his opinion. The way that made his non-existent stomach felt like its trying to digest puny, annoying invertebrate-ish creatures that fluttered wildly.

Once he looked up, he spotted some sort of figure sitting on a rock in a fair distance. Squinting his eye sockets, he then realized it was you. And what were you doing? Drawing? You did have ~~(a pet named Steve)~~ some sort of of sketchbook at hand and a pencil at the other. Okay... So you were drawing. He observed you looking up, studying something every once in a while and applying it to paper. Just seeing you concentrated and passionate about something...

He shook his head.

 _Focus_.

 "Heya. You're here early," he commented.

 "Oh, hey, Sans! Yeah. I needed some alone time to doodle. I was in the zone today and can't stop so I just thought I'd show up a little earlier," you explained.

 "Huh. Watcha drawin'?"

You scrunched up your nose, cute little wrinkles showing. "Just a little practice at backgrounds. I kinda suck at it,"

 "Dang," Sans breathed after he took a peek. "That's pretty impressive, if you ask me,"

 "If you were a wholehearted artist, this is still a beginner level kind of thing,"

 "Whatever. Looks dope, sweetheart," he complimented.

You felt a warm sensation rising to your cheeks. That always happened when someone praised your work, right? "Uh... Thanks,"

 "If ya don't mind, may I see some of your stuff?"

 "Erm... sure. 'Ve got nothing to hide,"

You handed Sans your sketchbook. Once it was in his hands, he flipped it to the beginning, the pages creating a gust of wind and flapping in front of his face. You didn't see that much of a big reaction on the first pages. You expected that. Your first drawings on the book were dumb, anyways. Soon, his eyebrows began rising up. He even hummed once in a while and stayed longer on pages that interested him.

 "You're pretty talented," he nodded.

 "Oh, please. Those are just some sketches. It's not that great," you waved.

 "Eh... I'd argue with that."He stopped at a particular section, proceeding to show it to you. "What are these?"

 "Ah," you smiled. "That, my friend, is gesture drawing,"

 "Gesture drawing? You mean the ones Pap told me about?" he asked, trying to ignore the fact that you considered him a friend.

 "Yep. Looks simple but it's actually very complicated. You have to get the feel of the model and capture the story of the pose. Those simple curves and lines can greatly affect the drawing,"

 "Sounds interesting... Why aren't they in clothes or somethin'? I get no face but..."

 "Oh, uh..." you started blushing as you scratched your neck. "That's the thing about gesture drawing... To get the entire feel of the model you have to, um..."

 "You have to what?"

 "You have to... k-kinda imagine them naked?"

Sans snorted, turning his head to his side as his hand flew to cover his mouth.

 "Hey, don't laugh! It's strictly professional! That's what legit art classes teach you. If you wanna be good at it, you have to do this kinda bull!"

 "Sorry, sorry. You're right. That was a little immature of me to find that amusing," he chuckled, wiping a fake tear.

 "A little..." you scoffed.

He continued browsing through the pages. He found one particular drawing that simply **drawn** him in (pun intended). You could've sworn his pinpricks turned to tiny stars once he saw it. It was either just you or that happened like a flash of lightning.

 "Is this... the battle body Paps has been rambling about?"

Good lordly loo. It's getting warm. "Yeah..."

 "Holy stars... He'll look awesome in this!" Sans gawked.

 "You think so?"

 "Oh, heck yeah. If you'll allow it, I might be able to whip something like this up one day,"

 "You? Heh. Alright. Be my guest. Make sure that you'll show it to me. I want to be impressed," you challenged.

 "Sure thing," he beamed. Again, he flipped the book to show you something. He was pointing at the logo drawn at the upper left portion of the breastplate-ish part. "What's this supposed to be?"

Giggling, you shrugged. "Just an Earthbound reference. It's a very popular human video game,"

 "I know. I've played it before. But why the Starmen logo?"

 "I don't know. I guess it's because Paps' pose reminds me of them sometimes?"

 "Really? You randomly decide on which character we remind you of and you'd draw us with that character's pose? Who do I remind you of, then? Ness? You're taking the game a little too far, sweetheart," he babbled.

 "HAHAHA! No! I'm not a fan. I mean, I like it but not that much to consider myself a hardcore follower like Yandee. It's just random references and inspiration,"

 "Right..." he squinted his eye sockets. "I'm sure there are other pretty impressive drawings that do not have any geeky Easter eggs in here but we better get going if we want to survive,"

Accepting back your sketchbook and then stuffing it into your backpack as you snickered, you tilted your head in curiosity. "Where exactly are you taking me?"

The playful smile on his face turned to a mischievous smirk. It was like he was set on blowing your mind with what he's planning. "It's a secret. You'll see. Ready to go?"

 "Aye aye," you saluted.

 "Good. Take my hand,"

 "Wh... What?" you blinked, your gaze shifting over and over from Sans himself to his hand offered to you.

 "We're gonna have to take a shortcut to get there and for you to take said shortcut, we gotta stick together,"

You mused over this for a while, just staring at his bony hand. You've heard those exact words before. You felt your heart thumping like the beat of the drums as a memory slipped into your train of thought. A pang of guilt shivered over your entire being as you remembered the scene. You shook your head, bringing yourself back to the present. You shouldn't be making a big deal out of this. Sans doesn't even know what happened. This was just pure coincidence. Not some sign to make you feel bad about yourself.

 "Fine," you sighed, taking his hand.

His breath hitched a bit at your touch. Your palm was so... smooth... and warm. He could practically feel the blood rushing in circles in your veins similar to how his magic circulated in his entire being. Realizing he began turning blue, he whipped his head the other way and started walking, pulling you with him. You looked a tad bit confused but he just ignored that.

The next thing you knew, Snowasis was no more and you were now surrounded in water and were standing on some sort of crate. Sans quickly let go of your hand, allowing it to flop down. You didn't catch it but he was a little... upset that he had to let go.

 "Where are we?" you held the straps of your bag.

 "This, my friend, is the Dump, primary source of human resources for us monsters," Sans gestured at the area.

 "Ugh. Don't call me that. Sounds so unoriginal," you shuddered.

 "Oh, so you want me to only call ya 'sweetheart', huh?" he halfheartedly teased.

 "Ew. Don't get any ideas. Why did you take me here, bone bag?"

 "First off, that was harsh," he said in mock pain. "Secondly, I took ya here 'cuz I thought you might find a few human stuff you might like,"

Raising an eyebrow, you leaned away from him. "I thought you wanted to hang out with me because you want to prove that you are responsible enough to look out for me,"

 "Yeah. That's also a part of this field trip. 'Cuz see that corner waaay up ahead?" Sans pointed at a distant location. "That's where the beast of all beasts, monster of all monsters live,"

 "And that is?"

 "The Head of the Royal Guard,"

Eyes widening, you stared at him. He was mostly expecting you to slap his humerus and scold him for taking you in such a dangerous place. Instead, your hands became magnetized to your face as you smiled ear to ear and squealed silently with so much enthusiasm that can put Papyrus' esteem to shame. He frowned for a moment, dreading that he said that wrong.

 "That's so cool! Real danger! And we've got nowhere to run! Sweet! I'm up for the challenge," you whisper-shouted before splashing off the crate you both stood on and rummaging the piles of trash.

 "What?" Sans blinked.

 "What? Did you think I'm scared of her with all the awesome stories I've heard? I think she's just pretty determined and loyal to the throne. She sounds like some sort of bad-ass, energetic punk I want to befriend. If she takes me, that's a win for all of you, especially you. If she doesn't, well... that's a win for me," you beamed.

The skeleton paused for a moment. "You're weird, you know that, sweetheart?"

 "I prefer the term 'limited edition'," you smirked, not stopping on checking out the trash.

 "This just turned from twenty three nineteen to zero in two seconds flat," he grumbled.

 "Awww, c'mon. We might find ourselves in a life or death situation anytime. Go ahead and make fun of me as I run for my life when that happens,"

 "So you are scared?" he perked up.

 "Of course, I am. I just see my fear as a challenge than an enemy I have to fight. Anxiety won't help me in a survival setting,"

Sans shut his mouth after saying that. He began to feel guilty taking you there. You knew his intentions well. Too well. It's gonna be hard trying to fool you. In all fairness, you were pretty witty. You seem to know people's intent after one conversation with them. So, with that in mind, he decided to just watch you silently as you amused yourself with whatever trinkets you can find, ignoring the fact that you were soaking wet. You sure were something.

 "Huh," you spoke out after a few minutes.

 "What?" the skeleton called out.

 "Found this red ribbon here. It looks so similar to the faded one I found in the Ruins," you mused.

 "May I take a look?"

You approached Sans slowly as you were studying the bow with the greatest of interests. Once you were close, he picked up the other end and stretched it out so he can examine it, too. There was a washed-off text written on it. He can't quite make it out. You, however, turned pale. Sans looked over to you, kind of worried and kind of befuddled.

 "What?"

 "Nothing. I just... The writing kinda looked like my last name was on it. That'd be pretty freaky," you replied.

Pulling the ribbon out of his grasp, you stuffed it into your bag in case something comes up. A string was pulled out off it, getting stuck between Sans' fingers. He gave up on trying to get it off and stuffed his hand into his pocket. Once he removed it, the string was no longer in sight.

You continued your exploration but, this time, Sans kept an eye out for other interesting things. He hadn't been here for a long time now so he better look into it in case there was something new. Moments passed and you interruped his search by your silent high-pitched squeal. You began to push other things aside, not minding the noise it made as its splashes echoed the cave. You stretched out and pulled whatever-the-thing-was off its spot with struggle. It was revealed to be some sort of telescope of sorts. Sans had no idea why you were so pumped up about this.

 "HOLY STARS! I've hit the jackpot!" you exclaimed.

 "What's so special about that telescope?" Sans questioned with low interest.

 "What's so special is that **this** is not your ordinary telescope. Scientists on the Surface used this baby to study stars that burns billions of light-years away from us. It's a pretty amazing equipment, if you ask me. Oh, man... If I ever make it out to the Surface, I am sooo taking this thing with me. This must've cost a fortune!"

What you were unaware of was that your statement kind of bummed out your monster companion. To hear that you believe that you'll make it out on your own was a bit... discouraging? He can't understand why. Was it because he can't get his entire race free with you or that he was out of the picture in that image?

 "You have to take me to some place where the ceiling crystals shine brightest. They're not stars but we can still get a pretty close look at them! It'll be awesome," you gushed.

 "Hmm..." Sans rubbed his chin. He was beginning to forget why he wanted to bring you here in the first place. He snapped his fingers, a clear picture in his head. "Got it. C'mon. Let's take another shortcut. Hold on to that thing, will ya?"

This time, he didn't offer his hand. You just held it out of excitement and reached out for the device. Trying to shake off that fact, he teleported both of you and the equipment the heck outta there.

...

You didn't even realize that an hour had passed since you went out for "star-gazing". You suggested it would be called "crystal-gazing" but Sans said it sounded juvenile. You talked about how space worked, what mysteries lay ahead, the fascinating galaxies man discovered and spewed out about an interesting occurrence in the Surface called "Aurora Borealis". You were blessed enough to love in a location where you can see it once it happens so your explanations of it were vivid and colorful.

The skeleton beside you can't decide if he was beguiled by the fact that the world was big or how agog you were over the subject. You looked so... bright when you talked about space. He can't help but feel a need to join you in your zeal. Boy, oh, boy, was he gonna do a crap ton of research later.

When your turn was over, you let Sans use the telescope and proceeded to sitting beside him. At first, he asked so many questions and rambled at how he can't grasp the possibility of other sciences outside theirs. Soon, he began observing more, switching perspectives every now and then. You decided to leave him with his wondering and sketched a new plant you found despite your pants and cloak were dripping wet.

 "That's an echo flower,"

 "What?" you looked up, shocked that his attention was now on you.

 "That thing you're drawing? That's an echo flower. It repeats the last thing it heard," Sans explained.

 "Wow..." you stared at it., adjusting your glasses back to the bridge of your nose.

  _'Wow...'_ the flower repeated.

 "Y'know... I don't really get why you do that; study plants. I know you're not that into botany but you seem to be interested in what they are and how they work,"

 "Oh. Uh... Yeah... It's just some kind of hobby someone.... someone I cared about suggested. Decided to jump into it to get my head off of things,"

 "What kind of things?" he pushed the conversation further.

 "Uh... um... I'm... really not comfortable saying it yet..."

 "Oh... S-sorry. I hope that didn't count as prying," Sans scratched the back of his skull.

You shook your head. "No. No, it's fine. I just... I'm just bad at forgetting stuff. That's all... I'm trying to do this to forget but... it just keeps getting worse. I still try, though. Who knows if it'll work?"

And just like that, a heavy silence followed. You quietly continued sketching as Sans uncomfortably shifted on his spot. Geez, he was bad at this. Wait. Why was he even trying? Well... he had to be honest. You were not as bad as he expected you would be. He didn't even know why he judged you so quickly in the first place. Yes, he was tainted with the last human's actions but you were a completely different person. He just can't decide if he can bear being stuck with you forever or not.

He realized it had been too quiet when you slightly yelped when the tip of your pencil broke. You mumbled something under your breath, rummaging through your bag to find the sharpener. Stars, he really had to say something.

 "Ya got other flowers in that book of yours?" Sans began.

 "O-oh! Yeah! Actually, I have a lot of it. You... you wanna look?" you offered.

 "Sure! We've only got like 17 types of flowers around here. It'll be pretty cool to see more than that,"

A smile on your lips, you nodded in agreement, flipping the sketchbook to the section where you drew flowers. Once it was in his hands, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was probably some of the very few pages with color. The way you captured it was so... vibrant and full of life. It was amazing how many kinds of flora there could be. He browsed through the pictures, ignoring th scientific terminology and focusing on the general name instead. Humans were so confusing with their names and stuff sometimes.

Petunias, sunflowers, dandelions, marigolds. There were so many. You smiled at his pure and utter amazement at it, wishing you could show the real deal to him one day. A certain page made him pause for the longest while. Had it been -what?- sixty seconds since he last flipped a paper? You raised your eyebrow, growing concerned.

 "What?"

 "H-huh? Oh, sorry. I just... Wow... I think I like this one the best,"

You stood up from your spot and took a peek to what he was staring at. Your smile warmed at the sight, understanding his awe for this particular piece.

 " _Myosotis_..." you sighed.

 "Forget-me-nots," Sans read.

 "You know... there are so many beautiful legends about that flower. One was where a Creator was decorating flowers and, when He was almost done, the last one called out to Him, asking Him to 'forget-me-not'. The Creator apologized as He had a little hue of blue and purple left but the flowers were grateful for it, anyways. It's kinda cute,"

He chuckled at the tale. "Sounds cute,"

 "My favorite legend has to be this one about a couple. There was a boy and a girl walking hand in hand beside a river. The girl spotted the flowers on the river's edge, admiring how beautiful they were. The boy became determined to get all of them for her. So he sprung on the steep banks, trying to uproot them. He didn't want to miss a single one.

 "The stem broke and he did get all of them. But at the cost of his own life. He slipped and fell into the wild currents but before he did, he pleaded the girl 'Forget me not!' and ever since then, when she saw those flowers, she whispered 'forget me not', remembering the boy who lost his life to get her the flower..."

Pausing for a while to reflect on the story, a smile curled up your lips at looking at the picture. You had so many fond memories about it. It spoke about people you loved. It spoke about someone you loved. Most importantly, it spoke about you. Flashes of images veiled your eyes for a few seconds, memories flooding in. You kept your composture and simply smiled. There was a reason why those flowers are such great value to you. You just can't forget precious moments when those flowers were present.

Sans, however, admiringly gaped at you. You must really love these flowers since, out of all the drawings you did, this one looked like it had the most effort put into it. The watercolor paint touched the lineart beautifully, shades of blue and purple splashing together to form a unique chemistry and a masterpiece. They looked as beautiful as y-

 "Those are your favorites, huh?" he shook his head.

 "Yeah... They-"

Suddenly, a clanging of metal stomped louder yet louder to your direction. Your attention immediately adverted to the source of the sound: a shadow from the farther edge of the area looming closer yet closer. Sans, in a panicked frenzy, stuffed the sketchbook inside your bag and the rest of your belongings then took your hand and started to run, the cloak on your shoulders flapping behind you.

 "W-wait! The telescope!" you reminded.

 "We'll go back for it! No one's gonna bother to take it!" he yelled back.

You looked back once more, the figure becoming clearer yet clearer, before Sans ripped open a vacuum of space and time, rushing to your destination as the view got darker yet darker.

When you opened your eyes, you were back at Snowasis, still running and Sans still holding your hand. You skidded to a halt, trying to catch your breath.

 "Hey! Hey, its gone! We're okay..." you assured.

After a few more paces, he finally stopped as well. He looked at you and, for a moment there, you saw pure fear and worry in his eyes (sockets). Not for him. This feeling, this... anxiety was staring right at you. Your gaze softened, worrying for him in return.

 "What's wrong?" you tilted your head.

He snapped out of it, running his free hand through his forehead. "N-nothing. That thing just-" He inhaled. "gave me the heebie-jeebies,"

Squeezing his hand gently, you flashed him the softest and sweetest smile you can muster, grateful for his concern. "We're okay now. There's nothing to worry about..."

Realizing he was still gripping your hand, he squirmed his free, digging it into his pocket. "Yeah... You're right..."

 "Looks like you proved your point, huh?"

 "Heh heh. Yeah... I guess I did..."

 "..."

 "..."

 "W-well... It's been quite a night. A-and you're on sentry duty so..."

 "Right, right," he nodded.

 "I'll see you, then?"

 "Yeah... Yeah, see ya, too, sweetheart,"

Once more, you smiled at him, biding him goodbye as you walked off to your home.

He watched you as you became smaller and smaller in his sight as you went further and further, never adverting his pupils for even one second. Rubbing the hand he held you with, he contemplated on what just happened. He felt his SOUL humming in a mellow melody, a nice warmth flowing in his entire being. He knew this meant trouble. But those thoughts seemed to dull. He only smiled at the thought of you, hoping you're thinking of him and the time you spent, too.

He didn't know what was happening. Nor did he have total control over it. But what he did know was that it felt good to help you out. So much so that, once you were completely gone from his sight, he whispered a small wish, careful not to be heard by anyone around.

 "Forget me not..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOAT. DOG. BOAT. DOG! BOAT! DOG. BOOOAT DOG.
> 
> ...
> 
> I JUST LOVE IT WHEN ME CHAPTERS ARE LONG Owo
> 
> I know there are bit and piece of Easter eggs in this paticular chapter? Have you spotted all of them? AND can you identify where they're from? The random thing near the beginning of this chapter was completely intentional. I can tell you that.  
>  ~~(It's linked to the boat dog thing. Google it if you don't know. I dare you)~~
> 
> Yes, gesture drawing is a thing. I go to an animation school and my teacher is making us do them daily. And, yes, we have to imagine people naked. I'm not joking. Hey, don't think of something dirty when you think of me drawing that, ya filthy peasants (lol jk).
> 
> Forget-me-nots are my favorite flowers, as well. Mostly because of the name itself and their colors. The legends only made me addicted to them even more X3
> 
> Don't forget to comment on your theories! Your feedback always makes my DAE ^w^
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ♥♡♥♡


	12. "When Push Comes to Shove"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Pap will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of Sans' love!~_
> 
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> _Da da da da daaaa... Da! Da da da daye yada. Da da da da daya da! Da da da da daaaa... Da! Da da da daye yada. Da da da da daya-_
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> **EVERYBODY! ******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola! I'm back on schedule! Didja miss me?  
> WARNING: Shipper!Papyrus ahead of you.
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "You'll be Back" from Hamilton. I think I'm starting to lve this musical... and Jonathan Groff. Fricken goals omg. Thanks for getting this fricken song stuck in my head for like a week.

Was it creepy that he picked up your schedule?

_Pssh? What? No, I don't. I just know she gets out of the house at nine thirty in the morning, head to Sien's cafe for hot chocolate, then go to Yandee's shop to read books, go out three hours later and walk around town to find inspiration to draw or something._

Okay. That did sound a little creepy. Well... that statement was an understatement. It was freaking weird. He wanted to stop himself to noticing you but everytime you came into the picture, his head would turn, somehow magnetized by you. He did try to get out of your way every once in a while. But, whenever he did that, his SOUL would ache because of the distance he put between you. It felt like dying and he can't do that when Papyrus is still around.

Soooo... he was stuck. With you.

You, however, began to notice that you and Sans' routine somehow collided. In the first few days, you have him a smile and greetings which he happily gave back. As weeks progressed, both of you found yourselves chatting. It went from small-talk to a friendly conversation to a full-on chat until you talked as long as a freaking podcast. Sometimes Sien or even Century would join in. You didn't mind and welcomed them in. You still kept your schedule as you didn't have a proper time set to it. Talking with Sans was fun, you had to admit, initiating a pun war and laughing until both of you can't take it anymore. And, if he was up to it, you got yourself some chocolate-y treats from Sien's cafe. You wanted to stop because you might fill up 90% of Sans' tab but Sien's revel bars were so dang good.

Getting suspicious, you once raised you eyebrow and looked at the skeleton in front of you, the steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand.

 "Is this... Is this a date?"

Sans had scoffed. "What? If I meant this as a date, I would've asked. I'm not **that** kind of guy, sweetheart. Besides, 've got no interest dating anyone yet anyway..."

His reply should've relieved you. But you held on to this lingering suspicion he was trying to hit on you. It was probably just you, though. Sien had laughed at that thought, saying that Sans was the last person he'd think to be going out with anyone. That calmed you down... a little bit.

The chubby skeleton mentally punched himself, though. If only he could ask. But he can't. Wait. HECK, NO, HE CAN'T. There was that whole SOUL harvesting thing and breaking the Barrier, remember? He can't. He SHOULDN'T.

He wished he can.

He was losing his cool. He was losing his goal. He was losing his rational reasoning. So, one day, he broke the routine and stayed in his house all morning.

You were too excited to be upset with him showing up. You even had your hot chocolate to-go from your bursting enthusiasm. Gripping the package with one hand, you knocked ferociously with the other.

 "SANS! Sans, come on! I gotta show you something!!"

Dangit.

He can't say no to you.

 "Whatsup, sweetheart?" he said after five seconds.

 "You'll never believe what I found hiding in my bag all this fricken time!" you jumped up and down, a big smile plastered on your face. You looked adorable.

 "Heh. What?"

 "Look!"

You put the item right before him. It was a small plastic package of something. On the cover, it had small blue and purple flowers surrounded by lively green leaves. It had some logo on top and branding stuff and codes on the lower left corner. Fashioned on a digital red ribbon directly at the bottom of the picture read "Forget-Me-Not Seeds".

 "No way," Sans breathed.

 "I know, right?! I was cleaning up my bag and I opened one of the 'secret compartments' in it and found this baby! You have to help me grow them!" you beamed.

 "Why me?"

 "Because I've talked with every freaking person in this town and no one was as excited about Forget-Me-Nots as you were. They all just went 'Oh, wow!' or 'That's pretty neat!' OR the annoying 'Aweome. That's interesting to know.'. Also, I figured that you wanted to see them for real. You up for it?"

 "Uh... s-sure. But... you do realize it's freezing cold around here?"

You waved your hand, indicating that wasn't a problem. "I have a pretty good spot in my house to put it in. I just need good soil and... I don't know where to get that,"

 "Dirt at Waterfall's pretty fertile and damp. Bet that's be good for them," he suggested.

 "Yes! That's perfect! When do we get it?"

Chuckling, he placed his hands up in front of you, backing off like he was expecting you to pounce on him like a Temmie. "Whoa... Slow down, sweetheart! It's my day off and I wanna enjoy it,"

 "Sorry, sorry," you giggled.

 "Let's head off tomorrow. Meet you at the cafe?"

 "Yes! Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

In your little outburst, you didn't realize or mind that your arms subconsciously wrapped around the monster's torso, trapping along his arms as you embraced him tightfully and gratefully. The blue glow on his face scattered, smiling nervously as you held him. The sudden close contact made his SOUL flutter and his non-existent stomach queasy. By the time you let go and opened your eyes to look at him, he turned around and pretended he was checking something inside.

 "See ya tomorrow! And please come early!" you darted off.

 "Y-yeah... See ya, sweetheart..."

Closing the door and freezing in position for a bit, he closed his eyes and sighed, questioning why you were doing this to him. Why he was feeling like this around you. It disgusts him. He shouldn't fail. Can he ever accept it and just go after you?

Then, a cough.

More like someone clearing their non-existent throat.

Sans' skull whipped around, finding his younger brother leaning aganst the wall near the staircase, a smug grin on his teeth.

 "What?"

 "Shut up. You know what's what,"

 "What's what?"

 "Oh my gosh, Sans! YOU LIKE (Y/N)!!"

A flash of cyan and yellow light suddenly lit up on Sans' left eye for about two seconds as he was shushing his brother down.

 "Can you keep that on the down low? And **NO**. I don't like her. We're friends and nothing more," he huffed.

 "I've read a story online that denial is the first sign of attraction! I knew it! You love her! Why don't you go out and profess your undying love for her! You're a lovable guy! She might even kiss you! And the Great Papyrus is never wrong!" the younger enthusiastically declared.

The older ran a hand down his face. "Bro, that's not gonna happen,"

 "Yes, it will! Oh! And at the festival last month, her SOUL just went out in the open! I didn't know what it meat but I think it means it was open for anyone to bond with! GASP! I knew that her SOULmate would be sick or something! You said that you were sick that night, remember?! Maybe that's why she didn't find her SOULmate all along!"

 "What?! Pap, that's ridiculous. Look. Do you see my SOUL in color right now?"

 "Oh, it might be because you're too caught up on that plan to get to the Surface to forget the bad things that happened to Dad. If you're willing enough, I'm sure you are perfect match! You could even be my... erm... what was it again? O-P-T or something?"

Chuckling, Sans simply waved his brother's remark off even though his sweat was tempting exit from his skull. "That's impossible as it gets, bro. I don't like her that way. Besides, I highly doubt she'd like me back,"

 "Then it's time to share a thing or two about relationships that a good, old Undernet friend told me!"

Papyrus proceeded on grabbing Sans' shoulders, much to his surprise, and dropped him on the couch from five feet. The shorter skeleton landed with a loud thud, rubbing his coccxyx after the fall with a pained face. The taller then leaped on the table, almost breaking it in half.

 "ONE! You must be clear of your feelings! Be confident! The ladies like it when the man is sure about how he feels and verbalizes it in a poetic manner!"

Sans rolled the light of his eyes, chuckling at the speech.

 "TWO!!" Pap slammed his foot down. "Show her you care for her! She will need a shoulder to cry on on troubling times! You have to be there for her and love her without expecting anything in return!"

 "Paaap..."

The ground shook as he pounced on the ground. "THREE!! Under no circumstances must you ever, EVER let her go away!"

 "Those are good points and all but-"

 "THERE WILL BE NO BUTS WHEN SHE'S SLIPPING AWAY, BROTHER!! YOU HAVE TO KEEP HER CLOSE TO YOU AND REMIND HER OF WHO TRULY LOVES HER OR YOU'LL LOSE HER FOREVER!! And then she'll find another man and fall in love with him and canoodle and smooch him all day while you sit in the darkness, realizing your mistake and begging her to come backinhopesthatshe'llloveyouagainbutshe'swaytoodeepinlovewiththisman,apologizingtoyouandyou'lldrownindeep,cripplingdepressionknowingthatshe'llneverbeyoursagainandthenonedayyou'llmeetanaccidentandliethereinyourdyingbreathasshespotsyouandshe'llrushtoyouand-"

 "Where... did you get all that?"

 "It's something in the Undernet called 'Fiction of the Fans'. Though it sounds weird, it does provide resourceful information from time to time! In fact, I know one of the writers of such tales! We're roleplaying buddies! And she seems to know a lot about lovey dove-y stuff like this!" the skeleton explained.

 "Interesting... Welp. Too bad it's pretty useless to me,"

Sans stood up from the couch, groggily heading towards the door. Papyrus titled his head sideways, confused. He had to admit that his brother had been acting strangely since last month. Maybe his theory is correct?

 "Where are you going?" he called out.

 "Gonna run a few errands. Uncle's been needing an extra hand ever since those earthquakes started," the other simply replied.

 "I saw you turning blue you know!"

 "What was that?"

 "And your smile changes around her!"

 "Whatever, Pap,"

 "You laugh when she laughs at your puns!"

 "I'm headin' out!"

 "LOOK! YOU'RE BLUE AGAIN!"

 "See ya later , bro!"

The door slammed shut, leaving Papyrus to gawk at it in amusement. He just knows he's right. He can feel it in his... **BONES**. _NYEH!_ But, still... it might be a possibility. There had been small changes about his behavior since you came. Nothing major. Just small. And he liked those small changes. He wanted them to get bigger and stay. He wanted to see his brother fall in love with you before his very eyes.

Oh, he can't wait!

He pulled out his phone and immediately went to the Undernet. Finding the chatbox, he excitedly clicked on it and typed in a message, hoping his friend was there.

 

**COOLSKELETON95:**

HELLO, MY FRIEND! I BELIEVE I HAVE FOUND AN IDEA FOR A NEW STORY! ADD THIS TO ONE OF YOUR TRUE PAIRINGS THING!

 

Almost instantly, he has a reply. He just knew she would be online all the time.

 

**nerdyweeb:**

That's awesome! I totally need something to quench my writer's block!

 

**COOLSKELETON95:**

I JUST KNOW YOU'LL LIKE THIS ONE! IT'S ABOUT MY BROTHER! HE DOESN'T WANT TO SAY IT YET BUT I JUST KNOW HE LOVES THIS NEW GIRL AROUND!

 

**nerdyweeb:**

OMG! I ship it already! Alright! What's the deal?

 

**COOLSKELETON95:**

WELL, IT ALL STARTED WHEN WE WERE AT THE SOULMATE FESTIVAL...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think is this... nerdy weeabo friend of Papyrus', eh? XDDDD
> 
> Sorry it's short. Kinda got distracted while writing this. Apparently this guy at school kinda likes me??? And I don't know if I like him back??? It's not the negative or the positive. I'm just not sure. WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?!!
> 
> Ugh. I'm too young for this. Yes, I am 18 but I want my single life dangit. Where the heck is a trustworthy Paoyrus when you need him?


	13. "You are a Friend of Mine"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She wanted companionship. He wanted more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH FRICKETY CRACKERS ON A BIG BOWL OF CHEETOS. THE NEXT THREE CHAPTERS ARE GONNA HURT ME!!! We're getting closer and closer to the reveal, guys! Or are we 7u7
> 
> I'm so sneaky. Hehehehe...  
> This chapter... gosh. This chapter's gonna be soooo hard to write. Sans, my love, my husbando, my SOULmate, I'm so sorry. I have to do dis ;u; Also, there's a hidden message sprawled on this chapter so be on the lookout fo dat X3 I'm sure you guys will figure it out in a blink of an eye!
> 
> I also apologize for not updating as often as i used to. Animation school's getting challenging. Not rough that I hate it! Just challenging. The good kind of challenging! Kinda had to pour out all my creative juices for school than on the Internet so that's why there's a bit of shortage on content XP I'll try my best to update as much as I can doh!
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Friend of Mine". This is like the ultimate friendzone song XDDDDD Well, that and "It's Over, Isn't It?"... Oh, who am I kidding? IOIT FRICKEN HURTS LIKE THE DICKENS!!!

*

_Pale lights shone on golden floors. Eerie silence hung from there and throughout the land. Red eyes dark as blood stared right at him. Safety isn't a common thing that time. Everyone who still lived retreated to a hidden side. Very few SOULs dared to fight them. Everyone of them failed. Rising from his downfall, he got back up with determination in his eyes. An unwavering passion burnt in him. Nobody. Came. Even his own brother. Killings had been rampant and vile. Escape wasn't an option now. Perseverance was the only thing keeping him alive. Then they attacked. He dodged every advance and attempt to destroy him. Invincible as they were, their determination stable, he didn't dare to give up. More attacks come his way. Gazing at his empty eyes, they smile at him so evilly. Oh, how he wished this madness would stop. Inklings of his survival fade away. No chance of return. Gathering all his strength, he raised his hand and swung his final blow._

_But just as he did, a flash of purple appeared, blocking the gap between them._

_"SANS, DON'T!!"_

**_POW!_ **

_Blood splattered on the floor, painting the tiles red and the walls and pillars with death. His eyes widened in realization._

_He killed someone._

_And that someone was you._

-

 "AAAAHHH!!"

The skeleton shot up from bed, clutching his sternum with one hand and the sheets spread across the mattress with another. _It's just a dream,_ he reminded himself. It's just a dream. No one was in danger. You were safe. Everyone's alright. You were alright. Or, at least, he thought you were. Thoughts fueled his anxiety, causing his hands to fly to his windows, pushing them wide open.

The town was eerily quiet that night. Oh, dear Asgore, he hoped that dream wasn't real. He held his breath, longing for a soft sound that would breathe out from the house next to his. Instead of a peaceful breathing, however, he heard loud hiccups and sobs. You were alive. There's that. What was that? You seemed to be whispering something...

 "I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry... I-I didn't mean to-" you hiccuped.

Who were you talking to? No one would dare visit your house at night because, if so, you'd maul them like a bear for disturbing your private "alone time". Curious, Sans crawled his way out of his window, ignoring the freezing snow beneath his feet as he peeped to your window.

No one was there.

You continued to sob, hugging yourself desperately. He wanted to do something but, in this time of night, finding him stalking on you would be kind of weird and unsettling.

After a few moments, you summoned you MENU option, the bold text of your stats softly illuminating before you with a yellow text below it, shining as bright as fire.

**CONTINUE?**

It was only then he saw your health bar.

0.0000000001 HP/ 71

Shocked, concerned and scared, he knocked on the glass softly without thinking about how stupid it was any further. All logic and reasoning fled once it came to your condition. You were dying and he's not gonna let you be like that on his watch.

Ever since the adopted child of the King and ex-Queen died along with their son, monsters developed a magical system to initiate a truce with humans better. The stats, the options and everything was automatically programmed to a human SOUL's being, making battles safer and it can also give monsters the ability to bluff and made their magic more dangerous than it looked. From what he heard and saw, the five human SOULs' system was tricky that their HP can be depleted faster. They never survived, the Guard successfully harvesting their SOULs.

Your SOUL was different, however. It introduced a new feature, something that the other SOULs didn't have. You had the ability to **CONTINUE**. Your HP never ran out even at your lowest point which, by far, was what Sans was witnessing at the moment. When you pressed that yellow button, your journey goes on and your HP maxes out.

Upon seeing him, you hastily pressed **CONTINUE** to hide the fact that your HP was decreasing. Your HP didn't max out this time, unfortunately. It only raised up to 2.

Rushing towards the window, opening it to be able to hear the monster's voice clearly.

 "What are you doing here? In the middle of the night? Out in the cold?" you worried.

 "Had a hard time sleeping," he lied. "Heard you crying and came to the rescue,"

 "Shut up. I'm fine, thank you," you chuckled and nudged him playfully, hoping that harmless fun would distract him from your plight.

It did not.

 "From what I heard, you're not. C'mon, sweetheart. Amigo to amigo, here. I still owe you for saving my non-existent skin from those new dogs that tried to chomp me out of their love of bones,"

 "Are you kidding me? That's nothing compared to what you've been doing! You gave me food, showed me around the Underground. Heck, the flowers have been responding better to you than me!"

A pale blue tint smoothed its way to his round face as he scratched the back of his head nervously, flattered from what you said. "Hey, what are friends for right?"

For a moment there, just a moment, you looked at him with the most loving way you could ever muster. You didn't even mean that. You were just grateful that he'd been there with you, thick and thin, even though you are the very thing that prevented him from getting a happy ending. You don't deserve him. He's better off with your SOUL in King Asgore's hand. The smile on your face wavered at that thought, bringing you back to the memories and the dream that haunted you.

He didn't say or show it but his spirits turned blue as your gaze fell. He thought, for once, that you actually showed a sign that you felt something for him the way he did for you. It was like he was brought back to reality, the chance of ever being with you the way he longed for being slim to none.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to you. "Speaking of friends, would you mind telling a pal what's ailin' ya? Don't try to hide it. You sounded pretty messed up,"

 "Sans, I'm-"

 "I just want to help,"

 "..."

Now where have you heard that before?

You just couldn't say no to that plea. You know what it's like too well, offering help but they're out of your reach... Scooting to the side, you extended your arm, inviting Sans to come in. Despite being a chubby monster, he fit in easily, slumping on your bed once he completely wormed inside. He found his place beside you. Well, a few inches away from your form, embracing your knees to make you seem smaller than you already are. You took a deep breath, adverting your eyes to the floor as you braced yourself.

 "It was horrible..." you started. "The Underground was empty. I thought it was because everyone made it out to the Surface. But I reached to this golden room and there I saw it... dust. Ashes... Of everyone. Yan-Yan, Sien, Century, Papyrus, even the King...

 "There was a human kid in stripes in the middle of it all. I can't really make out the colors but they had hair up to their shoulders and their eyes... They... were... T-They're scary. Red as blood. They smiled at me with the creepiest smile ever, raising their hand to point at me...

 "'It's your fault,' they said. I kept telling myself that it wasn't. But then... Then th-they pointed at my hand. I had a knife dusted with monsters' ashes in it. It immediately dropped it and tried to run away but once I did, I accidentally hit someone and... I... Oh, forget it..."

You turned your head to hide it from Sans, letting your tears fall down silently. Eerieness hung in the air for quite sometime. As you tried to drive away whatever thoughts that plagued you, the monster beside you stared at you with wonder, a decision dawning on him that would change his life. If it was for better or for worse, that's not in his control. All he knew was that if he'd make this change, everything does.

This very thought lingered and haunted him from the start of all this. From the moment he saw your SOUL. You weren't like the ones he saw or heard. Sure, they glowed brightly just like any human SOUL would. Or any SOUL, for that matter. And, yes, each SOUL was unique in its own way. A story that's never been written, a song that's never been sung.

But your SOUL?

Your SOUL was powerful. Wonderful and terrifying. If pushed hard enough, it can be a force that can bend time and space. Maybe, even, bend others' SOULs to your own will. But it -you- chose not to. You chose to stay. You chose to hope. You chose to keep going. Potent yet humble. Formidable yet gentle. After everything that tested you, pushed you, weighed you down, it's still... you.

Not only that. Your SOUL was everything cramped into one. Bravery. Justice. Kindness. Integrity. Patience. Determination. It's all there. He saw it in the twinkle in your eyes as droplets cascaded down your cheeks. He saw it as your shoulders convulsed in trying to contain what your thought were selfish emotions. He heard it as you breathed rapidly and then slowly, grasping for life as you did.

Maybe that's why he loved you.

Maybe that's why he did't care to go to the Surface anymore. The appeal wore off as time with you went by. If his fate was to be stuck down here with you? So be it. Come what may. All that matters is that your here. He's here. And that he can... he can...

Were you even willing to be his?

Will you even accept him to be yours?

From the looks of it, your heart still belonged and longed for another. The suspicious partner you abandoned on the Surface. Though feeling a pang of jealousy towards him, he can't blame you. You, despite being his SOULmate, weren't his to lose. Still... he could try. He could try capturing you.

He could try letting you fall in love with him the way he did to you.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sans realized it had been minutes since both of you last spoke. Nothing awkward. At. All.

 "Y'know... To tell ya the truth... I had a nightmare like that, too. So I can tell... it's pretty rough..."

Jeez, was he bad at this.

Sparkling eyes turning to him, he tried to fight back that sick, stupid grin he had when looking at you and the tingling sensation tickling his cheekbones.

 "But, hey, ya gotta remind yourself. These things aren't real. You have to focus won what happens now. Not the past nor the future which is probably the most common mistake people make, myself included. Keep doin' that and you'll fail to realize how... beautiful the present is..."

 "..."

Well, that was... something. Something about the way he looked at you took you back to a familiar feeling. A familiar warmth. When was the last time someone looked at you this way? You shook your head and cleared your throat, reminding yourself that you aren't fit to be anyone's. You weren't fit for him. How much more with ths guy?

Perhaps it was your subconscious telling you to do so but you didn't notice that your head leaned and rested on Sans' shoulder for support. And, more importantly, you didn't notice how blue he was turning, his face practically turning to a blueberry.

 "Thanks, bud. I needed to hear that..." you sighed.

 "B-Bud?"

 "Yeah. I hope you don't mind. You're one of my best friends so... I just thought it's cool to use stupid nicknames like 'pal', 'bucko', 'amigo', 'homeslice breadslice dawg'. Paps preferred I'd call him 'bestest friend' and Yan just when with 'dude', for some weird reason,"

What came out was a chortle. What came in was discouragement. Perhaps... this were better this way. Yeah... It should stay this way.

 "Hmm..." he gloomily hummed. "It's cool..."

 "Cool,"

 "Heh,"

 "Heehee..."

 "Ha... How are the flowers doing?"

Change the subject. Seems to be the best option to ignore the stupid ache in his SOUL.

 "They're pretty great. Actually, you wanna see 'em now?"

 "Sure,"

Scratch that. He didn't. The moment your head left his shoulder, it felt like it weighed the world rather than being lifted from a burden. Gosh darn-it. He was getting it bad.

You obliviously led Sans to the fireplace where the embers peacefully distributed a hearty aura in your snug little home. On the mantelpiece were tiny yet marvelous flowers perking up to the both of you. It was fascinating. Most of the flora teeming in the Underground survived and thrived through magic. The only "magic" this ever got was a certain heat/solar substitute Sans whipped up in replacement of the sun. These flowers were living because of you and him. Both of you shared the burden of taking care of it and struggling to keep them alive. And the efforts weren't a waste.

 "Wow..." Sans exhaled.

You gasped. "It... It didn't bloom when I was heading to my room. How did it-"

 "Eh, you'll never really know with them. The little kid's still lookin' pretty droopy here," he examined.

 "Awww... poor thing. We better look out for it better. Extra water, extra solar substitute and extra care. None of them are dying on my watch,"

 "Heh. You sound like you're mothering them,"

 "Well, in that case, they're my precious babies that needs to be protected from the world's cruelty," you jokingly wrapped your arms around the flowers as carefully as you can.

Sans chuckled. Did you even hear yourself? You were practically putting him in the position of being the dad in this... whatever this was. But, hey... He can live with that. You humming soothing melodies to the purple-ish blue flowers as you pointed out that music helps them grow. Him watching out for them if the weather's being harsh on them. Especially to that little flower looking pretty down in the dumps.

Yeah... He can live with this. He might not get to be with you but, at least, he got this bond.

Two cups of hot choco and two bags of chisps later, both of you got lost into conversing various topics as neither of you had the willpower to go back to sleep. You had to remind the other every once in a while to keep their voice and laughter down as neither of you wanted to be lectured by Papyrus or, worse, Century.

It came to a time that you were talking about each other's pasts and it was Sans' turn to ramble.

 "Yeah... That yellow SOUL **yelled _'ow'_** at first sight. Wasn't exactly the friendliest soul to my dad so that kinda led to some... bad memories. Stuff I'd rather forget. They're nt worth talking about. Even Paps would agree to me," Sans said.

 "Is that why you want to go to the Surface?" you tilted your head.

 "Sort of... I just... I don't know. If the world can reset, I wish it could even for just once. I just want to do better. With the Surface, it seems like a brand new start. I just want to be a better guy than I am, I guess,"

Brows furrowing to concern, you reached out and rested your hand on his shoulder, shrugging off the odd shudder as a response to the harsh climate outside.

 "Hey... There's no other Sans I'd rather be friends with. Yeah, you were a pretty big jerk at the beginning but Century was right. You are a total softie," you teasingly nudged.

 "Am not!"

 "Are, too!"

 "Oh, here we go again!"

Laughter tickled out of your system, echoing in the wooden walls of your home. Sans frowned at you and you playfully raised your hands up in surrender, falling silent as you took another chisp and sipped from your mug.

 "Hey, uh... Since we're talking about weird crap right now, I hope you don't mind me asking this question. It's just one so chill,"

 "Okay. Shoot," you nodded.

 "Cool. Um... About this... guy you used to be with... who was he to you?"

That question... didn't really surprise you. It was one that many people asked yet you had the same answer every time. You pondered about it for a bit, letting it sink in. After all this, is your answer still the same. Unconsciously fidgeting with the pendant on your neck, you decided that nothing changed. So you breathed in, breathing out the same answer all over again.

 "He was... everything to me..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 2 AM and idk what I'm doing. Shut up XP That beginning note wasn't even written the day I'm typing this. A lot of this had been stored up :P
> 
> I was gonna put in where Reader-chan breaks down and Sans hugs her but that's a little too straightforward and clicke so... ( '-')
> 
> I HAVE BEEN INFECTED.


	14. "Someday, Someone Might Take Your Place"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somebody needs to man up and do something. And he wants to be that guy or else someone else will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HALLO! I'm sane again! ... Maybe. Oh, whale! This is to make up for the absenses and not updating regularly. NYEH! School's been hectic on me. Fun hectic. But also tiring XP I said this before and I'll say it again. I'M SORRRRRYYYYY!!!! X( Gonna try to post another chapter soon to make up for it. I haven't lost motivation. Just... SCHOOL. And I kinda got discouraged of my writing style. But I'll get over it... Soon...
> 
> You're gonna go into Sans' mind this chapter. And he's been thinking an awful lot about you, Reader-chan ;)
> 
> OH. And guys? **PLEASE**. Gimme like. Legit feedback on the chapters. What did you think? How did you feel? Didja cry? You okay? Ya wanna squeal like a pig? Go on! Although, theories and thoughts would really help a lot. You know! Help you; help me!
> 
> Simple as that, right? X3
> 
> TITLE BASED ON THE SONG "Someday" by Nina.

(Y/N) (L/N)...

You were one of a kind. Special. Unique. So much so that he just can't help but fawn over you.

You had weird habits. Like how you prepare hot choco in a certain manner or how you read books in a different order. You start at the first chapter and, most likely, you'd lose interest on the next. By then, you'd flip to the last page and find yourself reading the entire book to explain the last event (if it was interesting enough). Really weird.

You had a few mannerisms as well. When a familiar song strikes up, you tap your fingers wildly as if you were playing guitar or piano despite your confession that you weren't very skilled at both instruments. You never slept without apillow in your arms and bit your handkerchief when anxious. Regardless, it was pretty cute, knowing those.

The way you treat friends was different as well. Sure, there were times you'd get pissed off and won't be in the mood for talking (he should know more than anyone). But you still put up with them no matter what. You easily forgave and forget every wrongdoing, even. Sometimes, you'd even apologize for your behavior, stating that it was probably a "hormonal issue", whatever that was. He knew female humans bled once a month. He was pretty freaked out when he learned about it. He just can't grasp the relations of your cycle to your emotions.

Even though you were lively and cheerful with peers, you were silent when you wanted to be. He had found you not uttering a single breath hours upon hours until he asked if you were mad. You shrugged it off, telling him that you just wanted to listen. To the Underground, you meant. You did it again when both of you visited Waterfall for the nth time. It was a routine now, going there. He decided to join in your meditation of sorts but, not seeing the appeal to it, he eventually fell asleep and then he woke up finding his arms wrapped around you like you were a teddy bear. He apologized, embarrassed. You didn't mind, though, still staring at the ceiling and listening.

You were amazing.

And, to think, everything you are, everything you feel, everything you think... it was all in that wonderful purple SOUL of yours. They said that Kindness or Patience had the gentlest SOUL. Frankly? To him, yours was.

It was so beautiful. So damaged yet so perfect. You had cracks in the past. But you know who fixed them? You. Hoping for the better, seeing the brighter side of the situation. That was all your doing.

Every time you pulled it out for specific reasons, be it checking it up or practicing battles, he can't help but be magnetized at the sight of it. He couldn't comprehend and even put to words how wonderful it is. He always asked himself why you weren't enthralled seeing such beauty. You had a keen eye for beautiful things, did you not? So why weren't you amazed at your own SOUL?

Mysterious.

He heard of human standards of beauty. You said that a woman is beautiful when she's got perfect hair, "sexy" eyes, red lips, a rather large bust, a tiny waist and showed off so much skin. You drew an example and he was left pondering why humans found appeal to it. The response you got was a head tilt and a scrunched up nose that asked "What?". Humanity's definition of beauty, to him, was so... physical. So outward. So... lacking. He felt bad for girls who didn't meet that standard ~~(yourself included, he thought. Not that you weren't attractive but you didn't really meet up to the drawing's standards)~~.

Monsters' definition of beauty is waaaaaay different. It was inward, emotional and personal. It was full of life. Yes, the glow of the SOUL adds a little spark. But how it felt. How it is. How it survived. What it held and who holds it. **THAT** is beautiful. Monsters had to rely on ther monsters for healing. Be it be physical or in relation to the SOUL and its magic. You, however, healed on your own. From cuts to bruises to the very culmination of your being. You can pick yourself up even though no one was around.

He knows he thought of it all the time but, DANG, you were amazing.

You're awe-inspiring. Unique. Magnificent...

You are beautiful.

Groaning and squeezing the bottle, he pinched the space between his eyes as he felt a weird throb on his chest. He was hurting bad but, at the same time, was marvelled by you. He can't stop it. He can't stop thinking of you, your SOUL, your story just... EVERYTHING about you. Maybe it was your absence talking. Absence really did make his heart grow fonder.

But he can't. Not because he had to go to the Surface. He'd given that up a long time ago. He just... He just wantedto...

It hurt.

He just wanted to be with you.

But he can't.

You can't.

He can tell. Your heart was with someone else. Someone you couldn't let go.

This lovesick feeling hung around for days now. He rarely got out of bed, barely got up and barely had sleep or food. He just longed -no. _Yearned_ for you. His SOUL wanted to be one with you, singing your name like it was the most beautiful melody ~~(which it was, he thought again)~~. He lost count of how many bottles of ketchup he downed. He didn't really like ketchup. He doesn't hate it nor resented its taste. He just liked to drink it when he felt disgusting. Of course, days without shower and getting out of bed would make you feel so.

At the hint of ketchup, Papyrus began to worry. Sans wasn't like this. Never was. At first, Century brushed it off, expecting him to be better in a few days. In came a few days and he was still stuck.

That. Was. Enough.

 "Sans. Get up at once! Shower, eat- **do something!** " he ordered.

 "okay," Sans absentmindedly replied.

 "And clean up your room!"

 "okay,"

 "You missed work AND sentry duty, you know?! Luckily, the Royal Guard wasn't really up to the mood of roaming around this week!"

 "okay..."

Century paused. "... You're not listening to me are you?"

 "... okay..."

Growing concerned, he reached out for Sans' head in attempts to console him. He may be a trashbag at the moment but he was still his beloved nephew. "Sans, are you okay?"

 "... no..."

 "Why? Could you tell me what's bothering you? You always verbalized your condition to me and Papyrus. Why is this any different?"

 "i don't... i just... i-i... i have a SOULmate..." he finally sighed.

 "What? Wh-wh-..."

 "sorry i didn't tell ya. i just thought i could ignore it. i wanted so badly to get to the Surface and then she waltzes in as just the most beautiful girl i've ever laid eyes on. been trying to get away from this. can't get rid of her no matter what, though. it's always bugging me,"

 "What are you saying? Who is your SOULma-"

 "it's (y/n), a'ight? it's her..."

The house fell quiet after he admitted it. Whether it was out of pure unbelief or utter shock, Sans couldn't tell. He ground slightly shook afterwards. They mistook it for another earthquake shaking the land but it was just Papyrus jumping outside Sans' room. The fricken cinna-bunny eavesdropped.

 "YYYYEEEES! I KNEW IT!!!"

 "hey, bro, do me a favor and don't tell her, okay?"

 "What?! Why?!" Papyrus retorted.

 "Yeah, why?" Century added in.

 "i can't be with her. she loves someone else and this is just wrong. i can't do this. i can't, i can't, i can't..."

 "Hey... come on, now. Don't be like that..." Century crooned, trying to pull down Sans' arm that rested on his eye sockets to hide tears that tried to escape.

 "why can't i stop myself? i don't want to feel this way anymore. this is WRONG... i can't do this to her..." he whined.

 "That's because you're SOULmates, Sans. It's natural to feel this way. It's okay to long for her. It's just a sign that you care and that your link is functioning properly. That's good!"

 "no, it's not... i told you. she loves someone else..."

 "She told you that she left him, didn't she?"

 "yeah, but-"

 "And she chose to stay here, did she not?"

 "true, but-"

 "So? What's the problem? What's stopping you? Go get her,"

 "..."

The elder skeleton frowned as his nephew looked at him like he spoke in WinDings. "Don't give me that look. I **know** that look. I know you know exactly what to do but act like don't!"

 "but i don't, okay?!"

 "Oh, come come, now, boy! You are Sans the Skeleton! You make choices on the spot! You're decisive, clever, witty! You have a pretty strong instinct and, o-ho, don't you dare tell me you don't know what to do. You know what's going to happen if you just sulk around like this? Your bond **will** break! And, soon, some fellow might show up and take her and take your place!

 "You are bonded with her for a reason, Sans! She needs **you** , not any othr monster waltzing down the street!"

Sans only pouted, annoyed at how impossible it was to convince anyone that both of you can't end up together. "Uncle, she doesn't need me! She can take care of herself just fine!"

 "NO, SHE CAN'T! You don't know, Sans! You just don't know!! Is she strong? Yes! But if you leave her alone like that, she's going to break one way or another. In case you forgot, young man, people have SOULmates because they need someone. And she needs you,"

Taken aback from his uncle's words, his gaze drew to the carpet floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "it's not as easy as it looks... i don't even know if she'll love me back..."

Century simply chuckled having heard of this phrase a thousand times from young individuals struggling to accept their mate. "You'll never know until you tell her. But, until then, you'll be cursing her for a fate she never asked, the fate of never knowing someone loves her. I'v seen many a monster waste away a beautiful chance like this only to learn that they'd loved them back when it was too late. I do not want you to meet the same fate,"

The elder slowly rose from his position and made his way towards the door. Papyrus, slightly intimidated, took a step back, his innocent eyes shifting from his uncle to his brother who looked at the taller skeleton with awe.

 "Clean room. Shower. Snack. Thirty minutes or I'll take away your Star Trek collection for a week. You know the drill," Centuru ordered. "Oh, and, Sans?"

 "..."

 "I believe in you, bud,"

With that, the elder walked away, heading to the kitchen to prepare a small meal for his nephew. His younger one followed, muttering protests as he did.

 "She needs to know!"

 "Don't do it, Papyrus,"

 "You're just gonna leave him like that?!"

 "Let it go, Papyrus,"

 "Uncle, if I may interject, he's my brother and he's not supposed to be a wimp!"

 "Give him time,"

 "But-But! The canons and boats!"

 "What?"

 "UNCLE, HOW CAN YOU NOT BE UPDATED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?!? GET WITH THE TIMES!!!"

As the conversation when on, Sans prompted his magic to creak the door closed, the knob clicking softly as to not capture the skeletons' attention. His hand flailed back to the ground as he groaned, burying his face in his pillows. He didn't want to get up... but he loved his Star Trek collection. He can't afford that to be out of his reach especially as he was moping like this.

Following the norm, thirty minutes later, he sat on the couch, relishing in his success by watching a little Trekkie action in which Papyrus walked out on as he disliked sci-fi.

His attention span grew thin as paper as his SOUL began to call for you again. It just won't stop doing that, won't it? Remembering Century's words, he just can't afford to lose you. The decision caused a heated debate on his mind that went on until he heard Jim cry out his enemy's name after the death of his beloved friend. Gets him every time.

It was then he decided that he just can't go on living like this. He had to tell you. The problem was... how?

No matter.

If there was anything you taught him, he had to hope. He had to keep going. He had to believe things can go better. Filled with determination, he set out a plan to clear his head and think about this thoroughly at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE ME MY STAR TREK, OKAY?!?! Yeah. I like Star Wars but absolutely NOTHING like how much I love Star Trek. Bones is my favorite. Eh??? EHHHH??? *nudge nudge* *wink wink*
> 
> Most of Reader's mannerisms and stuff are actually things I do 'cuz... y'know... HEHE.
> 
> Hope ya like this chapter and PLEASE say something. It'll mean a lot to me :3


	15. "Sad to Belong"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Who can say if I've been changed for the better?_   
>  _But, because I know you_   
>  _I have been changed_   
>  _For good..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so gonna cry writing this chapter...
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Sad to Belong to Someone Else" by Dan Seals. This song always hits me right in the feels TT^TT

~~_"Let me go,"_ ~~

~~_"No! Never!"_ ~~

~~_"Please..."_ ~~

~~_"Don't make me do this... please..."_ ~~

~~_"I promised you I'd help,"_ ~~

~~_"I said I DON'T WANT IT!!"_ ~~

~~_"Love, please..."_ ~~

~~_"I can't... I-I just can't let you go... I love you..."_ ~~

~~_"If you love me, you'd let me go. You'd let us go. I promise. I will find someone. I will find someone to take care of you and love you like I did,"_ ~~

~~_"It won't be the same..."_ ~~

~~_"I know. But it's what I want. You promised. Remember that. Now... Please, (Y/N)... Let me go..."_ ~~

•

You found yourself at the edge of a cliff that evening, some of the forget-me-nots at hand and the necklace in your grip. You woke up in tears that night, a scar of the past reopening itself, leaving it exposed to the open. It had been years. But you disobeyed. Oh, how ruthlessly you did. How selfish were you to keep them like this. Keep them trapped. Kept them from freedom.

Now... you weren't sure if you were ready. But the time was now. It was the time. If you won't do this, you can never let go. Just like he told you.

•

It was monster tradition that friends have a special spot all to themselves to represent the closeness and intimacy of the friendship. A private spot where little to none civilization or company can find. Despite the small space they had, it was surprising that they can find places where nobody can see. With Papyrus, it was a secluded part near Snowdin. They usually made snowmen there. With Yandereel, it was somewhere within the forest, near the river that connected all four major towns together and ended in the Core. With... him, it was a bench spot in Waterfall, at the lily puzzle. He loved that spot.

With you was a different spot. A special spot. Something that hasn't even been discovered. In fact, it wasn't one of both of you who found it. Both of you did. He can't decide who saw it first. Both of you had to find it at the same time.

It was a very high ledge at the very edge of Snowasis, on the wall that hid the Ruins, thick bushes rounded it like it was shielding both of you. Whenever you wanted a private chat, you'd call him to meet you there and vice versa. That chat usually ended with a pun-fest and a competition on who'd down condiments faster. He still can't believe you won seven to ten on ketchup. He had to pull up your hair when you threw it all up on the way home, though.

It was very, very late at night so, naturally, he'd expect no one there. He just thought he'd sit there for a while, contemplating how to tell you the whole truth. Should he start off with a pun? Would he even find the right words to tell you how beautiful you are? Will you... will you even love him the way he loves you? The questions linger. But they have to be answered tonight.

What he wasn't expecting was pretty little you sitting at the very edge, your feet snuggled up and crossed beneath your legs and little flowers curled in your hands. Wait... Were those the forget-me-nots? You told him you had no intentions to pluck the little things! Why were you... You were crying. Your face was dripped with tears, light shimmering on your face like you were some sort of angelic being. Dang, did he fall for you. And, boy howdy, he fell hard.

As if on cue, the street lights in Snowasis toned to a brilliant shade of purple... just like your SOUL. The lights did that often so it wasn't surprising. It was interesting that it tuned that color on this moment, though.

As you closed your eyes and took in a deep breath, he hid in the bushes, trying to keep quiet as he observed you from afar.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until, finally... you parted you lips, a low whisper of a tune he never heard, a lauguage he never learned and a pain he never felt.

_"Aloha 'oe_

_Aloha 'oe..."_

Whoa... He knew your voice was heavenly. But as you sung, you sounded like a goddess, the emotion painted in the melody of your breath. As you sung the part, you pulled out the necklace he so wondered about and popped open... something. Like water in your hands, particles of dust poured onto your palms, your breath hitching at its touch. What was so special about it thst you kept it all this time?

_"E ke onaona noho i ka lipo..._

_One fond embrace..."_

With those words, you held the now dusted flowers near your heart tightly, nearly crushing them all. But, even then, with your clearly broken demeanor, you were gentle, the sound escaping your lips still and resilient.

_"A ho'i a'e au_

_Until we meet again..."_

At last, you stretch your arms out, albeit reluctantly, and opened your hands, letting the dust and flowers ride the wind. Once all were out of your grasp, you brought your hands back and watched silently. Twinkling in your eyes, tears quietly streamed down you face. He can't describe the pain you felt and how it affected his SOUL. More than a thousand stabs in the back did it hurt. He just can't put it into words.

It must've been his SOUL's instinct. Or his now growing love for you. But he stood up, the rustle of the leaves alerting his presence.

 "Your... voice sounds pretty, you know," he weakly chuckled as he came up to you.

 "You heard all of it?" you croaked.

 "Yeah... Sorry for eavesdroppin' on ya like that,"

 "No, it's alright... In fact... I think you deserve to know... I think it's time I told you the truth..."

 "Um... Okay..."

Silence.

There was nothing but silence.

It had been a few minutes since either of you last spoke. He didn't want to rush you. Obviously, this topic took a toll on you. Fidgeting his fingers, he glanced up to your face from time to time, checking if you expression changed. Nope. It was still the same, shattered and traumatized agony all over it.

 "Song sounds nice... even though 've never heard of it... What's it about?" he broke the silnce, hoping changing the topic and offering an ice breaker can change the atmosphere.

 "It's a farewell song. It was written by someone who was going to be separated from their friend because their lands would be divided. Fearing they'd never see them again, they wrote this song to give their friend hope..."

You hugged your knees after talking, your tears still dripping to the ground.

 "Look, sweetheart. It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Or, at least, can't tell me yet..."

 "No... I have to get this out of my chest. Sorry, I... I just needed to take everything in..."

Reaching out for your hand, he smiled at you, comforting you in some way. He didn't even mean to do that. His bodyacted before his brain gave consent.

 "I'll listen to every word, (Y/N)..." his voice softly whispered.

You smiled at him. Then took a deep breath. This was one heck of a story...

 "I suppose I should start at the beginning...

 "I was a very... lonely child. Ever since I was a baby, I lived off from the foster system. It's a thing in the Surface where families get paid to take of young, orphaned kids by the government. I had no idea who my mom was... or my dad... I didn't have anyone. That was until I turned seven.

 "An envelope was delivered on my tenth home on my birthday. It was for me. In it was a copy of my mother's will that stated that this package to be delievered to me once I turned seven, a letter from her... and this necklace. I actually have the letter right her. Wanna read?"

 "Um... sure," Sans replied in bewilderment.

After fishing an old, folded, crumpled piece of paper out of your pocket, you passed to the skeleton sitting beside you, nervously fidgeting on the paper as he unfolded it. With a deep breath, he readied himself to reading the text out loud.

_"My dear (Y/N)_

_I deeply apologize that it had to come to this. I didn't mean for things to happen this way. Sometimes the world is just unfair like that. And there are a lot of people witn bad intentions and bad things can come our way._

_I am so sorry for failing you as a mother. But I just can't bear for you to suffer the way I and your father did. Just know that I love you, sweetheart. I love you with all my heart. You are the best thing that's ever happened to our lives and I just know that, one day, you will grow to be a strong and beautiful woman._

_We cannot be with you. Don't bother trying to find us for once you'll start, you'll only discover that our time has already ended. But we will always, always watch over you. Keep going, (Y/N). Keep going no matter what._

_There is always and will always be hope. Miracles happen everyday and you just don't see it. Just believe, my child. Believe everything will be better. And, I promise you, they will. Even in the darkness, there will always be light._

_Mommy loves you, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy loves you so much. You are our miracle. You are our hope. You kept us going and you are our perseverance._

_Happy birthday, my little girl._

_I love you with all my heart._

_-Mommy."_

 "I don't even know her name..." you sighed.

Sans then looked at you, the pain written in the letter practically transferring to him. He can still feel the tears that damped the frail sheet. Whether it was from you or from your own mother, he doesn't know. All he knew was that it hurt so bad that he can't imagine how you lived like this.

 "But that letter is enough for me to know that someone cares about me. So much so that they've given up their own lives so I can live mine..." you sniffed. "I found a new purpose that day. From there, I faced the world with a smile. I hoped. And, as my mother said, a miracle happened.

 "A year later, I was transferred to another home with these kids I never knew. Most of them were jerks. A bunch of idiots not worth remembering. But there was one guy who stood out. One guy who, despite everything, was the nicest, gentlest, kindest person I know...

 "Him..."

At that word, Sans felt his SOUL practically at his throat. He knew who you were talking about. You never gave a name for that guy. Probably never will. But he knew who you mourned over. He recognized that manner of speaking. How you spoke fondly about him. He had to ignore his seething jealousy over the guy, wishing you'd talk about him the same way you talked about this person.

 "He was... my best friend. After agreeing that the home sucked, we ran away together, acting like we were fugitives sought out for stealing great treasure. We were so good at hiding from authorities because he knew where they'd look. He knew where to hide. He made us hop from one place to another but I didn't care. No matter how many times we ran, he told me that he'd always find a piece of home if I was with him...

 "This went on for a long time. We got caught and we'd still run away. We changed. Grew up. And then, things changed... We fell in love with each other. Running for our lives was more than a hobby for us. It was how we bonded. He began reaching out to me and I'd hold onto him. Not once did he let me go. Not once did he allow for us to be apart.

 "Finally, when I turned 18, he wanted to seal the deal. He didn't want to be separated with me ever again. So we went to the court, called for a friend to be our witness and we got married..."

**BA-DUM.**

 "There was no wedding dress... No flowers... No fancy cake... But he was there..."

**BA-DUM.**

 "That's all that mattered..."

 **BA-DUM**.

 "Our days of running came to an end. He got us a small home in the middle of nowhere and we just... lived happily. Just when we thought it couldn't get any better... I..." You paused, sighing a bit with a fond smile on your face. "I became pregnant...

 "We were so happy. He worked around the clock to make sure we had enough money to support our baby girl. He took care of me every night, making sure we both felt loved. We promised our girl that the life she'd live would be so much better and brighter than the life we lived. She doesn't have to run away. She doesn't have to be lonely. We wanted to let her know that we loved her. And we did. Oh, we did so much...

 "But..." you chocked, your voice cracking. "It wasn't meant to be... She was sick... She can't make it out alive. When the doctors brought her out of me, she didn't cry. She was gone..."

You began to break down, pausing to cry. You just can't hold it anymore. Sans was unsure of what to do, rubbing your back in hopes that you'd find comfort in his presence.

 "I blamed myself for it. But he insisted otherwise. He did his best to comfort me. Day and night. He had our daughter's body turn to ashes so I can always hold her. It was a dark time for us...

 "And-" Sniff. "then..." Sniff. "It got worse. He, too, got sick after a few months she died. He... He didn't m-make it either... Th-The last thing he wished was that I'd release his and our girl's ashes where they can ride the wind because he'd search for someone else to look after me the way he did... Two years had passed and I-I... I still held on to them. I just couldn't let them go. I love them too much. I..."

"Shh.... Hey, it's okay... It's okay..."

Once Sans said that, you realized that, for the first time in the longest time, you wept loudly and bitterly. You let it all out. The anger, the confusion, the regret and the depression. It was all too much. And, now that you've let them go, you've got nothing to remember them by.

The skeleton pulled you into his embrace, rubbing circles on your back and whispering promises like "It will be alright" and "It's okay. Eveything's fine now...". It was bad but it was the least he can do. This pain. He just can't grasp how much you suffered with it. Dang. You really are strong. And you really did need someone. That guy you were with... He had to admit. He was a keeper. There was no way he'd be better than tha guy. He was just so perfect for you, loving you all those years... He could've been a successful man, a great father. It was a shame that he had to go on such short notice.

 "Look... sweetheart... I can't imagine what you've been through. Oh, it must've been hell. But you don't have to be down anymore. Me, Papyrus, Yandee, Sien and Uncle. Everybody. We're here for you. We're your new family. Just hold on for us, k?" he weakly smiled, gently wiping off the tears that glued on your face.

 "It's hard. People say that... P-people know I persevere. But they have no idea how hard it is... Standing b-back up... smiling... right a-after you've been knocked down... It hurts..." you wept.

 "Shhh... Hey, I know. I know... But ya gotta keep fightin'. This is life. Show 'em how strong you are and, believe me, you're really strong. Things will get better..." He pulled you close to him, running his fingers down your hair... as he planted his lips gently on your head. You were too distracted to notice it, anyways. "I promise..."

 You cried for a while. Sans didn't care. He had to be there right beside you. You needed him badly. Turns out Century was right. But he won't tell it just yet... Not in your state. You looked so broken. He just wished there was a way to fix all this. His thought were then disturbed by someone tugging down his sweater. It was you.

 "Sans... Thank you..." you weakly grinned.

Turning to a light hue of blue, he looked at you lovingly, beaming. "No problem, sweetheart..."

•

  ~~ _"We chose the right one... He'll take care of her for us. I just know it..."_~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I BAWLED LIKE A BABY.
> 
> There ya go. The truth's out. Whadda you think?


	16. "Please Fall in Love With Me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops. You slipped. And someone slipped before you 7u7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEEYY!! How're my fantastic peeps doin'? 'S been a while, yeah? Sorry 'bout that XP
> 
> 'Cuz the thing is... I kinda go discouraged on this fic? Like... it's growing to be so... cliche? And the lack/decreasing amount of comments are kinda bummin' me out (for frick's sake. I'm not doing this to get attention or affirmation. I just NEED feedback. Critque and observations, if you will). I don't really care about kudos? If you did, thank you so much. That's mighty nice of you.
> 
> But comments?
> 
> Comments and feedback are my GAS. The lower the feedback, the lower my DT. The only legit observations I get is from my best friend, Rheagan (THANK YOU, BTW).
> 
> I'm not complaining about comments that praise or say they miss me and stuff like that. No! I LOVE those comments! I love that you guys want to read this stuff. It's just... if I can only hear you out more, it'd be nice? Because a writer isn't a writer without the audience interacting with them and giving them their theories and opinions about stuff. We all gotta have a healthy relationship, right?
> 
> I'm not trying to vomit feedback from you. It's just that I know y'all have that and I just want it to be shared. Don't be shy! I won't bite! Constructive criticism is mah jam. I'll listen to ya!
> 
> I'm not only doing this because I love it but also because YOU love it. Me doing this by myself, for myself seems fruitless and pointless to me. I want you to be a part of this journey.
> 
> Hope you got that tidbit. I sincerely hope you do.
> 
> And for the matter that this is turning cliche... BOY, do I hate that. It's not my intention. It's just this part of the story is so bland and dull and I thought some fluff can spice it up. But there is a very important thing that happens after this bleh part, doh! It's where the drama comes in!
> 
> Hope ya like it!
> 
> TITLE FROM THE SONG "Would You be so Kind?" by doodleoddle. Such a cute song tbh :3

Things were... different. After that night.

The first week was spent letting the pain go which was the hardest part of all, you had to be honest. Kinda paradoxical, no? You want the pain to go away but you hold onto it like it means everything. Life fact, I guess?

But things changed.

The feeling was familiar. Every time he talked. Every time he smiled. Every time he laughed and throw stupid jokes. Every time he hugged you and every time his hands found their way to your hair, mesmerizing you to a state of contentment. It was like all of us sudden he seemed so... welp. You can't put a finger on it. He still the same guy you trust but a brighter mile is visible in your face at the sight or very thought of him.

Meanwhile, the bag of bones can't seem to muster any courage to tell you. Papyrus, Yan and Century have been playing catalyst far too long. A few nudges here, a little mood music there. They even set up a date for both of you. Good thing you didn't notice it was. Neither knew it was.

Sometimes, even, he had the urge to kiss you. But he had to stop himself. It was too... real. Too fast. He wasn't sure if you were ready for it.

Your heart would beat wildly when he did, though. Like there was a moment of pregnant pause. Then his gaze would shift to your lips as you turn to a fricken tomato, your cheeks burning like fire. You felt the desire to close the gap once when he was so close to you, bot your lips barely touching. Your stomach dropped when he pulled away. In both of your defense, you were drowsy that day.

There were... subtle but not so subtle changes.

If both of you sat on a couch, both of you seemed to be magnetized to each other, him lacing his arm around your shoulder to play with your hair and you resting your head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Sometimes he even presses his lips or his so-called nose on your head. You'd find him asleep with a smile afterwards.

Him nuzzling against your face wasn't an issue to both of you, either. When you'd get into tickle fights, he'd rub his face on you cheek causing it to feel warm and tingly.

Everything came out so naturally. Neither of you were uncomfortable nor did you hesitate. Everything was smooth and seemed to be borderline platonic once discussed.

You'd find yourself selfish of Sans. Not the way Yan does. But, sometimes, topics of other girls come up and you end up pouting inside like a child.

 "Were there girls who took an interest on you?"

 "What can I say? I'm a **bone** -ified hottie," he winked.

 "Eww, no!"

With a mischevious smirk, he said, "Why are you blushing, though?"

 "Just-UGH! Forget it! Just no!"

You had weird conversations from time to time, dropping way too obvious bombs and not even doing anything about it.

Long story short, it wasn't that both of you didn't know that there was something. It wasn't that both of you didn't want something more out of this. It was just the matter of... both of you not willing to say something. So stubborn. So foolish. So naive. No wonder you two fell in love with each other.

Sans. Sans denied that, however. Not because of the oath he made. Just because he dreaded that he had no chance with you. You're pretty, adorable, kind, inspiring. HECK, you are PERFECT. He stood no chance with the guy before him. He took care of her for years as he was only accompanying her for months. He knew her since she was a child, he knew so little about her. He could go on forever why he's the greater. He's just not good enough for you.

One day. He screwed up. He came too close. He was so... vulnerable. So week. So stupid.

It was one of those days where you'd watch movies in a late afternoon with hot choco at hand and smiles on faces. Both of you were at your normal positions. Yes, the one where Yan-Yan teased both of you so much about as Papyrus peeked with a knowing smile in the kitchen.

He began staring at you, studying your facial features and just everything beautiful about you. When you looked at him, he felt it. His SOUL trying to escape from him. Literally. Never had an object tinnier than him had this much strength to tug him. He held his chest, embarrassed, not bearing to look at you in the eye.

 "Sans? Are you okay?" you'd asked.

And that was it. With all the force it has, his SOUL pulled him towards you, forcing you to land back-first on the couch's armrest as Sans' face landed on your shoulder. You'd yelped, of course. You were surprised. Both of you were. Something else surprised you, though.

Sans, unable to get a hold on himself, paused, his face turning to your neck. Without thinking. Without even thinking it through, his lips landed on your jaw, a smal peck squeaking once it parted. And it didn't stop there. There were more pecks as held you close with tears in your eyes. Not a single trace of lust could you feel. He felt so... broken. So desperate. He held you as if he feared you'd push him away or that you'd dissolve from his grasp.

In what seems to be his voice in a cracked whisper, you made out these words that seemed too soft to be heard.

 "I need you..."

 "You have no idea,"

 "I can't. I just can't..."

 "We can't be like this,"

 "... Need..."

 "... SOUL... want..."

 "-can't let go..."

 "Don't want..."

 "Can't..."

 "Make it stop..."

 "Please..."

 "... hurts..."

 "Why... hate... you..."

 "Monsters... hope..."

 "Need..."

 "... hope..."

 "Underground... dying..."

 "King... save..."

 "...need... human..."

 "Please, make it stop..."

 "I can't do this anymore..."

Overwhelmed by so much anguish, you drew the monster closer, rubbing circles at his back to soothe him. He... was never like this. His voice sounded so pained.

 "Shh... It's okay, Sans. I'm-"

 "Wait,"

 "Hey, it's okay. It's okay. It's-"

 "What have I done?"

 "Sans, listen to me..."

Standing up in utter realization, he held his tear stained face with shaky hands, a wave of regret washing over him.

 "No... no, no, no!"

 "What's wrong? Sans-"

 "I'm sorry..."

 "Wait!"

And just like that, he fled.

He failed. He failed him. He failed them. He failed everyone. He's grown too attached. Too weak. Had he even seen the disaster befallen upon the land?! There wasn't a week when it didn't shake! If he kept this up, they'll die.

He's a failure. This will change everything. But, for once, failure never felt so good.

Menwhile, you began to sit up, contemplating on what happened. Those weren't just idle jabber. They meant something. Monsters around here are trying to hide something from you. With the way Sans acted, this wasn't to be taken lightly. It had something to do with you, for sure.

There was only one left whom you hadn't asked.

You better think of a clever knock-knock joke first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just... ew. What is this chapter TT^TT
> 
> It's 1 AM Don't blame me.
> 
> Welp. Despite the poorly written chapter, at least there's a plot important thing goin on now, huh?
> 
> Let me just sleep my cringe off XP


	17. ANNOUNCEMENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's not a new chapter TT^TT

HOWDY!

It's been a while since I updated this story, huh? Welp. I've decided to put in on **hiatus**. While I'm still determined to finish this story, it's still kinda making me down. I just need some time to get myself inspired for this again. If ya still want some Sans/Reader stuff, I'm woring on another story right now! If ya haven't seen it, just go to my profile! It's entitled "A Stranger Like Me" and it has a pretty unique concept and that's what makes me want to write it more.

I don't think I'll get back to writing this until I finish that. But I will do my best to finish this story all the way because it's still very special to me X3

Thanks for your patience and I hope you guys have a great day! ♥♡♥♡


	18. REAL IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT SO SIT YO ASSES DOWN

Hello!

So... It's been a while and I got to think hard about a lot of things. I haven't been updating stories here because I was super busy. I have so so much on my plate, you guys have no idea. And almost everything I do is just to survive and hopefully have money to fend for myself.

But that's enough talk! I updated for important news.

I am updating to this particular fic... _**one last time...**_

~~_(If you haven't read my update on "A Stranger Like Me", I'M HAMILTRASH, OKAY?!!! HAVE YOU SEEN MAH SON????)_ ~~

Yeah. I'm closing the book for this fanfic and opening another door for this story.

**BEFORE YOU PANIC, please let me clarify.**

The structure of this fic is... well... awful. I hate it. SO.

What I'll do is tell this story again but on a different time, on a different perspective. Yes, this **fic** will end but the **story** will not.

The new fic will be up on... whenever the heck I can write again. It will be a new start, a new style. We'll start it off when Frisk is actually there now 'cuz Frisk will be iportant to this story one way or the other 7u7 Reader's already gone for reasons you know but also don't (obv Asgore got her SOUL but y'all don't knw **HOW**  yet :3) and Sans is feeling down, as usual. Nothing new. But for another reason, not 'cuz of all dat RESET schtick :333 Pap put up the innocent & naive facade for purposes only him and Sans knows. A lot has changed.

The fic will be set ten years after Reader fell and... yeah. A lot of crap is gonna go down ;3

So, please. Don't cry because Sans did not kiss you! (Well, hint hint. He actually did in this fic 7u7) You will see more of this story soon. Bah-bye to this fic and see ya on the other side guys, gals and non-binary pals. _**PEACE OUT.**_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~_I hope you're happy._ ~~


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